China and Brazil are expected to hold a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday to advance their long-running proposal for mediation in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the Post learned on Tuesday.
At least 20 countries have declared an intention to send representatives to the meeting, including Azerbaijan, Colombia, Egypt, Kenya, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.
Neither the United States nor the European Union is expected to take part, and, according to Brazilian newspaper Folha de S. Paulo, it is unclear whether the meeting will be attended by heads of state, foreign ministers or lower-level diplomats.
In a speech before the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva addressed the Ukraine war, saying “it is now evident that neither side will be able to fully achieve its objectives through military means”.
Lula described the armed conflict between the two countries, under way since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, as evoking “memories of the darkest days of the Cold War’s futile stand-off”.
“At this critical moment, creating conditions conducive to the resumption of a direct dialogue between the parties is essential,” he continued.
“This is the message conveyed by the six-point framework that China and Brazil are proposing to initiate dialogue and bring an end to hostilities.”
A source with the delegation accompanying Lula to New York told the Post they sought to “lay the groundwork for a peace conference that finds ways to stop the conflict” between Russia and Ukraine.
Brasilia’s proposal envisioning peace has been put forward since Lula won back the Brazilian presidency in 2022.
The issue was informally raised with mainland diplomats ahead of Lula’s state visit to Beijing in 2023 but was eventually put aside due to China’s lack of interest.
A restart came in May this year when Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met in Beijing with Celso Amorim, the Brazilian presidency’s special adviser on international affairs, and endorsed a six-point plan to end hostilities.
Their proposal included allowing humanitarian aid to enter war-affected areas, protecting civilians, exchanging prisoners of war and halting the conflict.
In August, Li Hui, China’s special envoy for Eurasian affairs, met Amorim in Brasilia and said “more than 110 countries” supported the peace plan proposed by the two.
But Ukraine, the EU and the US rejected the plan, believing it would “reward” Russia and authorise its president, Vladimir Putin, to annex occupied territories.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week criticised the Sino-Brazilian plan as “destructive”.
“We were not asked anything,” said Zelensky in an interview with Brazilian website Metropoles. “And Russia comes out and says that it supports the proposal of Brazil and China. What is the point of these theatrics?”
“It’s definitely not about justice, it’s not about values,” the Ukrainian leader added. “It’s definitely a lack of respect for Ukraine. We are not fools.”
Zelensky urges China to help end Ukraine war
Although the Chinese foreign ministry has yet to comment publicly on the planned meeting in New York, it highlighted the Sino-Brazilian plan.
In a statement on Tuesday, the ministry called on the warring parties to “de-escalate the situation and create the conditions for the resumption of direct dialogue until a comprehensive ceasefire is achieved”.
Also on Tuesday, Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, said Beijing “remains committed to promoting peace and dialogue and welcomes and supports all efforts conducive to a peaceful resolution of the crisis”.
“China is willing to work with the international community to create conditions for a political solution to the Ukraine crisis through dialogue and negotiation,” Liu added.
Meanwhile, some observers voiced scepticism about the Sino-Brazilian initiative yielding concrete results.
Bruna Santos of the Brazil Institute at the Wilson Centre, a Washington-based think tank, believed Ukraine lacked a “strong level of trust” in any of the countries so far confirmed to attend Friday’s meeting.
What is more, Santos said, Kyiv has been defying Washington’s request to confine its armed campaign within Ukrainian borders and appeared to regard attacking Russian territory now as its best strategic option.
The Sino-Brazilian initiative could prove a significant show of influence for Lula, she added, even if it had no direct impact on the conflict.
“While it won’t significantly affect Brazil’s position on the UN Security Council, for example, the effort reflects the type of reforms Brazil and other nations would like to see.”
Source: SCMP