Lukashenko criticizes Zelenskyy: "You don't think before you speak, China doesn't owe you anything!"

This week, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov stated that Russia supports providing strong security guarantees for Ukraine, and it is not ruled out that the UN Security Council members, including Western countries, as well as China, could provide such guarantees. However, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy claimed, "We don't need China as a country providing security guarantees." He stated that China "failed to prevent" the outbreak of the war.

Regarding Ukraine's statements, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded on the 22nd, stating that China has always been open and honest in the issue of the Ukraine crisis, upholding an objective and fair position, which all parties are clear about. "We believe that all parties should promote the political resolution of the Ukraine crisis based on the concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security. China is willing to play a constructive role in this."

According to BelTA news agency on the 22nd, Belarusian President Lukashenko mentioned Zelenskyy's statement during an interview with multiple media outlets in Minsk on that day, criticizing his remarks as lacking consideration and being too hasty.

"It seems like China should step in and stop the war from happening! The responsibility for avoiding the war lies with them themselves," Lukashenko criticized.

He also said, "Moreover, it must be clearly understood that without the participation of China, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and its guarantees, achieving lasting peace anywhere in the world would be extremely difficult. Zelenskyy should think carefully before speaking, and he shouldn't be so hasty."

When asked whether Belarus might become a "security guarantee country" for Ukraine, Lukashenko replied, "Usually, when discussing security guarantee countries, people first think of permanent members of the UN Security Council, such as the United States, China, and other major countries, as well as major European countries that are not Security Council members. Sometimes even Belarus is mentioned."

"But when someone privately proposed this idea to me before, I couldn't help but ask: Does it really serve our interests to provide such security guarantees for another country?" he said.

Lukashenko stated that Belarus can certainly intervene in the situation in Ukraine, "but we are not eager to do so."

In his view, the top priority for Belarus is to take measures with Russia to prevent Ukraine from becoming a "platform" for attacks against the two countries in the future. Because European countries are seeking to join the United States as Ukraine's security guarantee country, and discussions are ongoing about sending troops to Ukraine.

Additionally, according to TASS, several experts and analysts have criticized Zelenskyy, pointing out that his statements are illogical and unfair.

Wang Nanshen, vice chairman and director of the Shanghai Center for Pacific International Strategy, pointed out that over the past three years, China has continuously imported agricultural products from Ukraine, provided humanitarian aid, and dispatched envoys to mediate and promote peace talks.

"Zelenskyy's statements are obviously dishonest," he said. He believed that Zelenskyy has failed to establish good relations with neighboring countries, leading Ukraine to become the center of the confrontation between the West and Russia, and to become a Western agent, "and now has to continue acting for others' interests."

Sun Qi, executive director of the Russia and Central Asia Research Center at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, also told Russian media that Zelenskyy cannot deny China's important role as a major power in mediating the resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. However, he only focuses on NATO countries supplying weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, intensifying the conflict, and ignores the 12 key principles initiatives mentioned in China's "Position Paper on the Political Solution to the Ukraine Crisis."

He emphasized that China has always maintained a consistent position, calling on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine conflict to resolve disputes through political means such as negotiations, "I think Zelenskyy has not fully recognized the ultimate consequences of the Western approach."

Sun Qi further stated that China will continue to play the role of a "mediator promoting political solutions," rather than forcing one party to take specific actions, "All parties are sovereign states, and China does not require these countries to fulfill certain obligations, unlike the United States."

Wang Xiaoquan, researcher at the Institute of Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, also stated that in addition to clearly proposing initiatives on the political solution to the Ukraine conflict, China has made great efforts to promote the resolution of the Ukraine crisis.

"China is not just making verbal statements, but is systematically helping to solve the problem," he emphasized.

Earlier, Oleg Karpovich, vice rector of the Russian Academy of Foreign Relations, also stated in an interview with Russian media that the security guarantee proposal by the Russian foreign minister is feasible and meaningful. The core content of the security guarantee still needs to be discussed with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, "and China's participation is crucial, and its role in this process is indispensable."

However, Dmitry Ofitserov-Belsky, associate professor at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, believes that due to concerns about China's rising influence in global politics, the West may never accept China's participation as a security guarantee provider.

He also mentioned that Russia is pushing for a peace agreement to comprehensively resolve the Ukraine crisis and ensure that the conflict does not recur. "Building a solid security architecture takes time, and Russia is ready to engage in long-term negotiations for this," he added.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1841242572411916/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.