Kuleba wants safety guarantees
China publishes Russia-critical interview
05/01/2022 10:22 am
China’s stance on the Ukraine war is not entirely clear. On the one hand, there is support for Moscow, but on the other hand, Beijing keeps distancing itself. The Chinese state media has now surprisingly published an interview in which the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba finds sharp words.
In an interview published in the state media, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba asked China for protection guarantees and sharply criticized Russia. “Ukraine is currently exploring the possibility of receiving security guarantees from permanent members of the UN Security Council, including China, and other major powers,” Kuleba told Xinhua News Agency. “This is a sign of our respect and trust in the People’s Republic of China.”
Beijing had already promised Ukraine in 2013 that it would stand by it if it was attacked or threatened with nuclear weapons. Since Russia’s invasion, however, the Chinese leadership has been evasive on the issue. When asked about this, a State Department spokesman last month referred only to “substantive restrictions” and “certain conditions” that would result from a United Nations resolution for non-nuclear armed states.
The government in Beijing has not officially condemned the Russian attack on Ukraine, instead repeatedly accusing the US and NATO of provoking Russia and fueling the conflict by supplying arms to Ukraine. So far, Chinese state media have largely followed Moscow’s line, hardly reporting on civilian victims of Russian attacks and, in accordance with Russian guidelines, avoiding terms such as “war” and “invasion”.
The interview with Kuleba now contained unusually open criticism of Russia. The Ukrainian accused Moscow of endangering China’s “New Silk Road” infrastructure initiative and the Chinese economy with its “invasion”. “We believe that this war is not in China’s interest,” Xinhua quoted the foreign minister as saying. “The situation is not escalating because of Ukraine, but we are exercising our right to defend ourselves.”