Close cooperation

Lavrov: China could host peace conference

Russia has brought China into play as the organizer of a peace conference in the Ukraine war. China could convene a peace conference in which Russia and Ukraine would take part, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the Russian news agency RIA in an interview published on Thursday. Such a step would be a continuation of the efforts of the government in Beijing to find a solution to the Ukraine crisis.

Russia shares China's view that the causes of the conflict must be addressed first and foremost and that the legal and security interests of all parties must be protected. "I would like to emphasize once again that this means respecting the realities on the ground, which reflect the will of the people living there." Russia and China have further expanded their close cooperation in the course of the war in Ukraine.

Russia demands recognition of territorial gains
Russia has repeatedly called for talks on the condition that Kiev and the West recognize its territorial gains in eastern Ukraine. Kiev has rejected this approach. In the course of its invasion, which began more than two years ago, Russia annexed four Ukrainian regions in the east and south in violation of international law, as it did with the Crimean peninsula in 2014.

In its peace plan, Ukraine demands a complete withdrawal of Russian troops and the restoration of internationally recognized borders.

Nehammer at peace conference in Switzerland
At the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Switzerland is hosting a peace conference in mid-June, which Russia will not be attending. Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) has also confirmed his attendance at the conference.

It is unclear whether China will take part in the conference and at what level the USA will be represented. Selenskyj had invited US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to take part.