MOSCOW, March 22. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping did not discuss Kiev’s peace formula on the Ukrainian settlement during talks in Moscow, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.
"No, the Ukrainian peace formula was not discussed, there was an exchange of opinions on the provisions of the Chinese peace plan," the Kremlin spokesman noted.
According to him, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky's regret that Beijing did not respond to his offer to join Kiev's peace formula is "a matter that concerns China-Ukraine bilateral relations."
Peskov recalled that on Tuesday, when summarizing his talks with the Chinese president, Putin reported on the discussion of the Chinese peace plan. The Russian leader pointed out that many provisions of the Chinese peace plan on Ukraine may be taken as basis for the Ukrainian settlement when the West and Kiev would be ready for it. At the same time, he pointed out that so far, no such readiness had been observed.
On March 20-22, Xi Jinping visited Russia. It was his first state visit since his re-election for a third term.
In February, the Chinese Foreign Ministry published a position paper on a political settlement of the crisis in Ukraine. This twelve-point document includes calls for a ceasefire, respect for the legitimate interests of all countries in the field of security, settlement of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, the exchange of prisoners of war between Moscow and Kiev, as well as the cancellation of unilateral sanctions imposed without a corresponding decision of the UN Security Council.
In the published document, China described a dialogue and negotiations as the sole way of resolving the crisis in Ukraine and called on all parties to support Moscow and Kiev in "moving towards each other", as well as in the early resumption of a direct dialogue. It is stressed that the world community should create conditions and provide a platform for the resumption of talks.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky earlier reported that the Chinese authorities did not respond to his proposal to join the Ukrainian peace formula.
While addressing the G20 summit in mid-November by video link, Zelensky said that Kiev had its own ten-point "peace plan." He mentioned nuclear, food and energy security, prisoner exchange under the "all-for-all" formula, as well as the withdrawal of Russian troops and the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity. As Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova pointed out, Kiev’s initiative to hold a "peace summit" in the UN was nothing but Washington’s PR stunt.