Chinese officials and state media reacted with sputtering outrage after Ukrainian President Voldoymyr Zelensky said the Russia-allied communist tyranny was not welcome as part of the prospective coalition that will secure Ukraine’s postwar borders. “Why isn’t China one of the security guarantors? We don’t need guarantors that don’t help Ukraine. Beijing assisted Russia by opening access to the drone market,” Zelensky said during a meeting with journalists on Thursday.
“We don’t need guarantors who don’t help Ukraine, and didn’t help Ukraine at the moment when we really needed it. We need security guarantees only from those countries that are ready to help us,” Zelensky said.
The possibility of Russia’s “no limits” partner and “forever friend” China participating in security guarantees was raised the previous day by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who sought to revive a 2022 proposal that would have involved the entire U.N. Security Council (UNSC) in providing security for Ukraine. Russia and China are both permanent members of UNSC.
Ukraine rejected the 2022 proposal because it would have given Russia too much control over Ukraine’s security. Kyiv is unlikely to look more kindly upon the proposal after three years of brutal warfare – but Lavrov said Moscow will insist on having Russian, and possibly Chinese, troops working alongside any European security force. (Read More)