As Russia-Ukraine peace talks resume this week, the former US ambassador to China said that while any possible role for Beijing should be welcomed, its participation must be taken with a grain of salt.
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Speaking at the Brookings Institution in Washington on Tuesday, Nicholas Burns, the ambassador during the Joe Biden administration, cautioned that Beijing’s growing interest in Ukraine’s reconstruction was less a goodwill gesture than a strategic manoeuvre by a government that has aided Moscow throughout the war.
“They’re not neutral – they’re in Russia’s corner, diplomatically, economically and militarily,” Burns said.
His warning came after top Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met on Monday in Istanbul for their second round of talks in recent weeks. The two sides agreed to a large prisoner exchange but made little headway on a peace deal.
Kyiv had submitted terms in advance, calling for an immediate ceasefire, while Moscow waited until the meeting to deliver demands that included Ukraine’s recognition of Russian territorial claims as well as its renunciation of any ambitions to join Nato – conditions Ukraine swiftly rejected.
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Burns’ comments reflected Washington’s growing concerns that China, by offering reconstruction aid to Ukraine, could buy its way into Kyiv’s post-war future while avoiding accountability for supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war machine.