The Xi-Putin Summit: China's Bid for Peace in Ukraine

The Ukraine war has reinforced the great power contention, making the geopolitical rift between the United States and China even more explicit. After enjoying a rare success by successfully brokering the peace deal between the two archrivals of the Middle East, Saudi Arabia, and Iran, the People’s Republic of China now seems to consolidate its alignment with Russia, which might also facilitate a breakthrough in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Since President Xi successfully secured the third unprecedented term of the presidential office, he seems to pursue a greater and more proactive role for Beijing on the global stage. The three-day state visit of President Xi to the Kremlin on March 20 has raised hopes for the successful mediation of the Ukraine crisis which has now entered its second year. The Ukraine war, one of the worst humanitarian crises of the recent decade has cost tens of thousands of lives, forced millions out of their homes, and triggered a widespread economic recession, by disrupting global supply chains.

Recently, China has repeatedly attempted to portray itself as a global mediator of peace, reiterating ceasefire calls in its position paper that was released last month amid Russia’s ongoing blitz in Ukraine. The hopes for a peace truce between Russia and Ukraine have been relit not only by Beijing’s proactive role as a mediator behind the Saudi-Iran rapprochement but also due to its proposal for dialogue between Moscow and Kyiv, as President Xi intends to meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, virtually after his Moscow trip, the first time since the Ukraine crisis last year.

The Ukraine conflict, at present, is being largely seen as a proxy skirmish by Beijing lurching Russia against the US and NATO. For China, Russia is an expedient partner, pushing back against the hegemony of the United States. As a response to the warning from the US, Beijing has greatly condemned the West and US specifically, as fueling Ukraine war by supplying arms to Ukraine. Last week, the United States proclaimed a $350 million military aid to Ukraine. China, in retrospect, held that it has not provided any ammunition to any warring party, and wants a peaceful resolution of the crisis.

Interestingly, the containment, and encirclement policies by the US, have contributed to bringing Beijing, and Moscow, even closer. After this summit, both Russia and China present a united front against the US and its allies. Although Xi’s proposal for a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine war will be fruitful seems uncertain, however, it cannot be denied that Beijing has been striving to depict itself as a potential peacemaker in Ukraine, which in the long run will not only add to its global standing but will also cause great concern for American-led alliances.

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