【By Observer Net, Ruan Jiaqi】

This Monday (25th), regarding the statements by diplomatic representatives of some EU countries that China might participate in an international peacekeeping force in Ukraine, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson has clearly responded that the report is not true, and China's position on the Ukraine crisis has always been consistent and clear.

However, Western media continued to hype it up. On August 30 local time, the Financial Times cited information from four sources familiar with the discussions, stating that former US President Trump had proposed that China deploy troops to Ukraine after the war to serve as peacekeepers.

These sources claimed that during a meeting last week at the White House with leaders of several European countries and the Ukrainian president, Trump proposed that as part of a peace agreement with Russia, China could be invited to send peacekeepers to monitor the "neutral zone" along the 1,300-kilometer frontline in Ukraine. This idea was opposed by many European governments.

The report also said that this indicated Trump's support for Putin's initial proposal. Russia had previously proposed supporting China and other UN Security Council members in providing security guarantees for Ukraine, ensuring such guarantees would be "equal and not targeted at Russia."

Nevertheless, the White House denied it. A senior official from the Trump administration responded, saying, "This statement is false," and added, "There has never been any discussion about the issue of Chinese peacekeeping forces."

On August 18 local time, US President Trump held a multilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, several European leaders in Washington, with the core agenda being "how the West can provide security guarantees for Ukraine after the war."

Trump stated after the meeting that the US would help secure Ukraine's safety, but excluded the possibility of sending US troops to be stationed there, only indicating that the US might provide air support as part of a peace agreement.

The Financial Times pointed out that Trump has consistently pushed for a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, but both sides still have significant differences on key details such as post-war territorial control.

Photo of German Chancellor Merkel posted on social media X

The report said that senior military and political officials from the US, Ukraine, and major European countries had previously discussed a plan involving the establishment of a "demilitarized zone" patrolled by neutral peacekeeping forces as the first layer of the Russia-Ukraine peace agreement.

As early as spring 2022, during the initial negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul, Russian representatives had first proposed the idea of inviting Chinese peacekeeping forces to participate in the security framework discussions.

The Russian proposal at that time was that the "guarantor states" — the US, UK, France, China, and Russia — would provide defense support to Ukraine if it faced new attacks; however, Ukraine considered this arrangement "unacceptable" because Russia proposed that all guarantors must agree unanimously before taking action, which meant that Russia would have a veto over any military intervention.

Eventually, due to Western interference, the Istanbul negotiations "collapsed," and this proposal was left unresolved.

It wasn't until recently, after Trump and Putin held a historic meeting in Alaska, that Russia again proposed that China could become one of the guarantors of security for Ukraine under the framework of the peace agreement.

Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said in an interview that Russia supports providing strong security guarantees for Ukraine and does not rule out the possibility of UN Security Council member states, including Western countries, and China providing such guarantees. However, Zelenskyy claimed, "Ukraine does not need China as a provider of security guarantees." He stated that China "failed to prevent the outbreak of the war."

In response to Ukraine's remarks, the Chinese Foreign Ministry stated on the 22nd that China has always been open and honest on the Ukraine crisis, upholding an objective and fair position, and that all parties are aware of this. "We believe that all parties should promote the political resolution of the Ukraine crisis by adhering to the concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security. China is willing to play a constructive role in this regard."

Earlier, when asked whether China was willing to become a guarantor of Ukraine's security, the Foreign Ministry emphasized that China's position on the Ukraine crisis has always been consistent and clear. China will continue to work in its own way to promote peace talks and the political resolution of the crisis.

Zelenskyy's inappropriate remarks about China have also drawn criticism from the international community. Belarusian President Lukashenko criticized Zelenskyy's comments as lacking consideration and being too hasty.

"(His words) imply that China should take action to prevent the war from breaking out! The responsibility to avoid war lies with them themselves," Lukashenko scolded, "and it must be clearly stated that without the participation of China, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and the security guarantees it provides, achieving lasting peace anywhere in the world would be extremely difficult. Zelenskyy should think carefully before speaking, and shouldn't be so hasty."

When asked whether Belarus might become a "security guarantee country" for Ukraine, Lukashenko replied, "When someone privately suggested this idea to me, I couldn't help but ask: Is it really in our interest to provide such security guarantees for another country?"

On the issue of Ukraine's security guarantees, there are huge differences between Russia and Europe, with the latter insisting that Ukraine must receive "strong security guarantees," including sending troops into its territory, which Russia criticized as not offering "any constructive suggestions" for a peace agreement.

According to a report by the Financial Times, Ukraine has shown openness to the participation of NATO member Turkey. Since March this year, Russian and Ukrainian officials have held three rounds of peace talks in Istanbul, but apart from large-scale prisoner exchanges, they have made no meaningful progress.

On Thursday local time, Turkish President Erdogan told Zelenskyy in a call that Ankara is ready to host any high-level talks between Kyiv and Moscow and expressed willingness to contribute to Ukraine's post-war security.

The Turkish Presidency stated, "Turkey will continue to strive to end the war and achieve permanent peace, and will continue to contribute to Ukraine's security after the peace is established."

The report mentioned that Turkey has always positioned itself as a "mediator" in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Recently, Turkey also proposed that as part of a final agreement with Russia, Turkey could participate in the planning and deployment of peacekeeping forces, especially in the Black Sea region. European officials said they may accept Turkey playing this role.

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7544180881075503652/

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