The war in Ukraine could represent a rare opportunity for cooperation between the United States and China, particularly regarding trade relations between Beijing and Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that Chinese leader Xi Jinping may play a pivotal role in ending the hostilities in Ukraine.
According to CNN, this issue is likely to be addressed at the Munich Security Conference, where U.S. Vice President Joe Vance will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will lead the delegation from Beijing, as reported by Politeka.net.
Analysts believe that China may be interested in playing a constructive role in resolving the conflict; however, Beijing is also concerned about undermining its relations with Russia, notes Yun Sang, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, as stated by Politeka.net.
"The real outcome that Beijing would like to avoid is a significantly weakened Russia. Because then... (Beijing) would lose one important partner," said Chong Ja Ian, an associate professor at the National University of Singapore.
Experts are sharply critical of the prospect of pressuring Putin, pointing out that China cannot afford for Russia to completely fail, as this would have serious economic repercussions. China is already navigating complicated relations with the U.S. and Europe, and thus feels compelled to continue supporting Russia as its "only powerful diplomatic ally," according to Politeka.net.
Moreover, some observers believe that Xi also views Putin as a potential source of economic and diplomatic support amid escalating tensions surrounding Taiwan.
Trump and China may attempt to negotiate a peace agreement that satisfies all parties: Putin could save face, while Xi and Trump could position themselves as peacemakers. However, this scenario raises concerns among many experts. If Russia maintains control over parts of Ukraine, it could lead to only a temporary lull rather than lasting peace.
Source: cnn.
As reported by Politeka, Musiienko assessed Trump’s phone call with Putin: “This indicates, by the way, the weakness of Russia”.
Politeka also wrote about how Bortnik explained how the U.S. plans to freeze the Russian-Ukrainian war along the front line, if this does not suit anyone.