China’s peace proposal to end the war in Ukraine is “grossly unfair” because the plan does not respect the country’s territorial integrity, the permanent secretary of the Estonian Defense Ministry has said.
Beijing released a 12 point peace plan in February.
It is the duty of “the wider global community” to help Ukraine, Kusti Salm said. But China’s plan has not been fair to the Ukrainian people, he said.
“Whenever we measure…the feasibility of a peace agreement, it must be measured against the same principles. Are we eradicating aggression as a tool?” he asked CNBC “Squawk Box Asia” Friday.
“Do we honor the territorial integrity and sovereignty of independent nations?
These are the “missing ingredients and key elements” of China’s peace proposal, he said. “It’s something I would say [is] extremely unfair to the Ukrainian people who are fighting for their freedom. »
No breakthrough at Xi-Putin meeting
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s three-day visit to Russia ended on Wednesday. During the trip, Xi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two leaders shared warm words and were called “dear friend”.
The meeting failed to make a significant breakthrough in resolving the Ukrainian conflict. Xi and Putin called for “stopping all moves that lead to tension and protracted fighting to prevent the crisis from escalating or even spiraling out of control”, according to the joint statement issued by Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The statement did not mention Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the large-scale military assault on the Kremlin, which left thousands dead and even more refugees.
powerful ally
Estonia, a Baltic republic, shares a border with Russia. He was one of Ukraine’s strongest allies during the war.
Estonia has been “at the forefront of support for Ukraine, from the very beginning”, Salm said, adding that it had provided “the full spectrum” of military assistance, such as tanks, in Kyiv.
On Monday, the Estonian Defense Ministry said it had reached an agreement to send 1 million 155mm artillery shells to Ukraine.
In a reportEstonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said the initiative “will provide Ukraine with urgently needed military aid as soon as possible and will increase the manufacturing capabilities of the European defense industry” .
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that if Europe is reluctant to back Ukraine, “evil might have time to regroup and prepare for years of war”.
“It is in your power not to allow this to happen”, Zelenskyy said in a speech Thursday before the members of the European Council.
Russia ‘surpasses’ Ukraine
Russia “outclassed” Ukraine in artillery by a “ratio of one to 10”, Salm said. “It’s a scary factor”, mainly due to supply issues.
Moscow produces more artillery ammunition than European industries can manufacture in a month, he said.
“That’s the thing that needs to be addressed because it’s not just the issue of helping Ukraine,” he said, adding that “it’s also the defense readiness of the military forces.” ‘NATO’.
Russian aggression against Ukraine is an “existential subject for Estonia”, Salm said.
“What we have to make sure is not only that Ukraine wins the war, but that the whole concept of aggression is (…) uprooted from the history of war,” he said. he declares.