Speaking of major international events, it has been more than three years since the Russia-Ukraine conflict started in 2022, and various rumors and turning points have emerged one after another. What has been making a lot of noise recently is that China, the United States and Russia have stood on the same line for the first time on the peacekeeping issue in Ukraine. This sounds new, but if you look carefully, you can see the doorway behind it. It's not that the Three Kingdoms have suddenly become iron buddies, but that each has its own abacus, and finally it happens to be right at some points. The point is that the matter of sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine has gone around and around. Only China seems to be the most suitable. Other countries are either stuck in their positions or directly passed by the parties involved. Let's talk about it step by step. Don't worry, let's clarify it from the beginning.
Let's first talk about how this rare unified opinion came about. On February 24, 2025, the United Nations Security Council met and the United States rolled out a draft resolution on a ceasefire in Ukraine. This thing is quite interesting. It does not mention Russian aggression, nor does it want to withdraw troops or reaffirm the sovereignty of Ukraine. It acquiesces in Russia's actual control in the four eastern provinces-Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporozhye, and Kherson. When voting, the United States, Russia and China voted in favor, and other EU countries were dumbfounded. This is the first time that the three giants have not undermined each other. The EU originally wanted to add provisions that were unfavorable to Russia, but failed. As a result, resolution 2774 was adopted and became the basic framework for ceasefire negotiations. Why unify? After Trump came to power in the United States, he emphasized that U.S. interests are first and no longer wants to throw money and soldiers; Russia certainly likes to acquiesce to the status quo; China has always been neutral, insists on political settlement, and does not want to be involved in military confrontation. With such a gathering, the opinions of the three parties were aligned.
A month later, on March 24th, something new happened. At the regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a reporter from the Polish News Agency asked about the report of the German newspaper Le Monde am Sonntag, saying that China was discussing participating in the Ukrainian peacekeeping force in Brussels. Guo Jiakun, a spokesman, directly denied it, saying that the report was untrue and that China's position has always been clear. This sounds simple, but it leaves some room and doesn't completely block the door. On the afternoon of the same day, Fu Cong, China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, made a speech at the Security Council debate on "Enhancing the Adaptability of United Nations Peace Operations" and made three comments. First, peacekeeping must abide by three principles: consent of the parties, neutrality and non-use of force except in self-defense. It means that both Russia and Ukraine have to nod their heads, and neither will do without one. Second, we should maintain stable and cooperative relations with the countries concerned. Third, adhere to the core mandate of the United Nations, and do not make small moves privately. Fu Cong also mentioned the history of China's peacekeeping. Since 1990, he has participated in 25 operations and sent more than 50,000 people. Now he is the second largest contributor to the United Nations. This is a bit interesting when put in the context. It's not just to show off, but to say that China has experience and ability, and if the conditions are right, it can play well.
Why only China is eligible? exclude others first. In the five-quarter, the US Trump repeatedly said that it would not send a soldier and a soldier, too far away, not in accordance with the interests of the United States. France and Britain wanted to form a "voluntary alliance" to provide post-war security, but Putin directly refused, Lavrov warned NATO troops to join the war, Medvedev even harsher, saying that it meant to fight with NATO. Russia clearly does not accept any NATO troops, regarded as hostile. The European Union is also troubled, Poland, Italy, Hungary opposition troops, France high-talk but limited force.
The Russian side, in the US-Russian talks and the Kremlin statement, did not oppose China, India and other neutral peacekeeping forces, and also felt that China's neutral position can balance the Western influence, not let the peacekeeping turn anti-Russian tools. The United States did not explicitly oppose, Trump even said on the occasion, hopes China to enter, provide help, Secretary of State Rubio also suggested that the peace agreement needs to be accepted by all parties, peace should go the UN path. Ukraine, not openly opposed to China's participation, also signed agricultural products agreements with China, approved soybeans, black sea shrimp and other exports to China, trade in $7 billion, China for years in a row is Ukraine's largest trading partner, and in 2025 it is expected to contribute to
Following this, the European media was hot, and the German "World Journal" said the EU's diplomatic representative said China was willing to participate in peacekeeping, but the Chinese side denied. On August 25, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to similar questions, Guo Guo said the reports were not true, China's position on the crisis in Ukraine was objectively fair.
The South China Morning Post that Wang Yi told EU diplomat Karas that China could not bear Russian losses because of concerns that the United States turned its head against Beijing, but denied providing material support.
On August 21, Zelensky told reporters in Kiev that China did not need guarantors who did not help Ukraine, and that China was on the side of Moscow in the war. On September 23, Zelensky spoke to the UN Security Council, saying that China could force a ceasefire on Russia, but was often silent away. The head of the office of the President of Ukraine was also interviewed by Phoenix Media, saying it was time to arrange a meeting of the two leaders and that China could play a role in the peace deal.
In the game between major powers, to put it bluntly, each has its own agenda. The United States wants to save trouble and ask China to share the burden; Russia wants to use China to balance the West; China adheres to the United Nations framework and does not want to be led by the West. After Fu Cong spoke, discussions continued into August. At the Brussels meeting, China and the EU exchanged documents to explore peacekeeping options, but China emphasized the need for Security Council authorization. Russia reiterated that it welcomed China and avoided Western dominance. Ukraine did not exclude it, and trade cooperation advanced. The United States remains neutral and supports multi-party intervention. On August 23, Beijing officials said that if the United Nations decided, they could consider sending troops, but limited to monitoring the ceasefire and not involving combat. By September, negotiations were not settled, China had no actual deployment, and peacekeeping was still on paper. Zelensky promotes diplomacy, Trump focuses on the domestic market, Lavrov remains tough, Putin handles the domestic market, and Macron adjusts his European stance.
Dig deeper into the connotation, which reflects the positioning of big countries in the peace process. China has rich experience in peacekeeping and has played in Africa and the Middle East. Transferring to Ukraine can reflect the responsibility of a big country, but the risks are high and there are many minefields. The possibility of being involved in three wars is no joke. Russia advances east, Ukraine resists, negotiations advance in Washington Moscow. Trump promotes peace, Zelensky seeks guarantees, and China's role may be played under the future United Nations framework to avoid direct intervention. International observers monitor, trade cooperation is stable. Sino-Russian relations have gone from unlimited cooperation to rumors of military training. Ukraine revealed that China sent 600 people to Russia to learn Western weapons response, but China denied it. Experts say that this marks the transformation of China and Russia into an alliance, but China still takes the neutral road.
In general, this unified view is not a piece of iron, but a temporary intersection of interests. China meets the conditions, because it has no NATO burden, has a peacekeeping history, and the parties are not entirely opposed. But Zelensky refused, showing a large gap of trust. China's diplomatic wisdom is that, not taking action, etc. The United Nations authorized to avoid falling into the Western trap. If the parties have a need, after voting, on the basis of the principle consider sending troops. This phenomenon is fun, does not let others want to enter the non-government, and is beneficial for long-term peace. The Russian conflict has developed to the present, only the countries that see the direction can grasp. China sees precisely, does not rush, does not follow the wind.