According to Petr Pavel, president of the Czech Republic, a prolonged war in Ukraine benefits China since it enables it to obtain Russian resources for low cost. Furthermore, China is closely examining the lessons learned from this conflict as well as the responses of Western nations.
Based on this, Petr Pavel stated in an interview with Politico that despite statements from Chinese leaders saying they support peace, China should not be viewed as a mediator. China doesn’t want peace in Ukraine, the Czech president, former NATO General warns.
His remarks come as China, which recently floated a vague roadmap to settling the situation in Ukraine, tries to position itself as a mediator. While most Western allies have been dubious of the overtures, other nations, like France, feel that China might play a significant role in the peace negotiations.
Pavel, a former general and top NATO official, was explicit. He claimed that China cares about itself when it comes to Ukraine and that right now, that means deeper war.
In exchange for its “no limits” alliance with the Kremlin, Beijing can obtain cheap oil, gas, and other resources from Moscow, Mr Pavel claimed in an interview.
China’s ambassador to France incited outrage by declaring that former Soviet countries have “no effective status” in international law in response to a question about whether Crimea belongs to Ukraine.
Beijing distanced itself from the comments later on. Still, the event renewed the contentious debate over whether China could ever assist in bringing peace to Ukraine.
The president was upfront about his concerns about the spread of populism and Russian influence in the Czech Republic’s vicinity at the same time.
The Czech president warned that if populist candidates succeed in Slovakia’s elections later this year, it would “be a challenging time for Slovakia, but also for us as neighbours and very close partners.”
At the same time, the Prime Ministers of Central European states, Poland’s Mateusz Morawiecki, the Czech Republic’s Petr Fiala, and Slovakia’s Eduard Heger, made a joint solid and firm appeal to the civilized world. Friends of Ukraine urged people to support Kyiv in what was likely to be a pivotal phase of the whole war on the eve of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ counteroffensive.
“If Russia wins and Ukraine falls, central Europe may be next. Accordingly, defeating Russia now in Ukraine will reduce the chances of Ukraine’s backers’ having to spill their own blood and further treasure later. It will send a clear message that frozen conflicts and endless wars have no place in our region. And it will make clear to tyrants everywhere that aggression will not be rewarded and dictators will not be permitted to carve the planet into spheres of their evil influence”, the Czech, Polish and Slovak leaders said.
Expecting important events on the battlefields, Ukraine’s closest allies mobilize the West for more support to Kyiv to repel Russian forces from the Ukrainian lands.
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