China Walks a Tightrope, Searching for a Ukraine Peace Deal That Gets Around Defeat for Its Ally Russia

After their talks in the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) sign a document on March 21, 2023.

Reuters
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks with Chinese President Xi Jinping via phone line, in Kyiv on April 26, 2023.

China is certainly in favor of ending the war, as it sees the conflict as a crisis that has a negative impact on the global economy. This interest extends to ensure that its neighbor and ally Russia does not look humiliated or "defeated", in any peace agreement with Ukraine. On February 16, 2023, a view of a graveyard in Kharkiv where fallen Ukrainian soldiers, including Gennady KOVSHYK, a member of the 92nd Separate Mechanized Brigade are buried.

Russia demands Kyiv accepts the independence of pro-Russian separatist'republics' in Luhansk, Donetsk, and eastern Ukraine. "China's recent successes in mediating between Iran & Saudi Arabia show that it can navigate between long-term adversaries. Since Xi mentioned sovereignty specifically in his telephone call with Zelenskyy it is unlikely that China will support Russia's demand for Ukraine to make outright territorial concessions. China will make every effort to ensure that any deal reached does not humiliate Russia in an obvious way," added Shen.