(AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the UN Security Council Tuesday that China could pressure Russia to end the war in his country, following a US call for Beijing to stop buying Moscow’s oil.
China is not a party to the conflict, but Kyiv has long complained that Beijing has supplied items to Moscow that can be used in its war against Ukraine, and continues to purchase Russian energy.
“China is also represented here, a powerful nation on which Russia now depends completely,” Zelensky told the council, of which China is a permanent member.
“If China truly wanted this war to stop, it could compel Moscow to end the invasion. Without China, Putin’s Russia is nothing. Yet too often China stays silent and distant instead of active for peace.”
Beijing strongly denies that it supplies Russia with material for use in its military campaign in Ukraine and has sought to portray itself as an impartial broker ready to help resolve the conflict.
“Since the first day of the crisis, China has been upholding an objective, impartial position calling for a cessation of hostilities and advocating for peace talks towards a political settlement,” said deputy Chinese ambassador to the UN Geng Shuang.
On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump called China and India “primary funders” of Russia’s war in Ukraine as they continue to purchase and use Moscow’s hydrocarbons.
“China and India are the primary funders of the ongoing war by continuing to purchase Russian oil,” he said.
© 2024 AFP
