White House, Experts Rebuke Sino-Russia Statement on Ukraine War

Chinese leader Xi Jinping (L) meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21, 2023. Sergei Karpukhin/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are facing criticism over their reference to the U.N. Charter in their joint remarks on the Ukraine war, following their two-day talks in Moscow that ended on Tuesday.

Xi arrived in Moscow on March 20, a trip that China’s state-run media had billed as a “peace trip.” In February, China revealed a “12-point” peace proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine, a plan largely dismissed in the West as a tactic to buy Putin time in his war against Ukraine.

The proposal lacks concrete plans and does not mandate Russia to withdraw its troops occupying Ukraine, a condition that Kyiv and the United States have insisted on as a precondition for any peace talks.

In a joint statement following their talks, Putin praised Xi for the peace proposal.

“We believe that many of the provisions of the peace plan put forward by China are consonant with Russian approaches and can be taken as the basis for a peaceful settlement when the West and Kiev are ready for it,” Putin said.

National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby speaks during a daily news briefing at the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room in the White House in Washington on March 21, 2023. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, in a briefing on March 21, dismissed China’s ability to be a mediator between Russia and Ukraine, arguing that the communist regime is not “impartial in any way” in the ongoing war.

Kirby then highlighted what he said was a flawed reference to the U.N. Charter in a separate statement the two leaders released jointly on Ukraine.

“On Ukraine, I would note that the two sides just said, quote, ‘The purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter must be observed, and international law must be respected.’ Well, we agree,” Kirby said.

“Following the U.N. Charter would mean that Russia should withdraw from all the territory inside Ukraine, the territory of another member state of the U.N.—a member that it has invaded,” he continued. “The U.N. Charter enshrines the principles of respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, including Ukraine.”

“So, now, if China wants to play a constructive role here in this conflict, then they ought to press Russia to pull its troops out of Ukraine and Ukrainian sovereign territory,” Kirby added.

Two experts also weighed in on the reference to the U.N. Charter on Twitter.

“This is a hoot. Russia is flatly in violation of Charter principles but we get a joint statement that asserts respect for them. Okay,” wrote Evan Feigenbaum, a former senior State Department official specializing in Asia who is now vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

“So when is Russia going to start doing so?” asked Bonnie Glaser, director of the Asia Program at the German Marshall Fund. “This statement has no credibility.”

In February, the U.N. General Assembly adopted a nonbinding resolution calling for Russia to immediately withdraw its forces in line with the U.N charter. The resolution was passed 141-7, with 32 abstentions including China.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a Security Council meeting concerning the war in Ukraine at United Nations headquarters in New York City on Feb. 24, 2023. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken commented on the vote a day later, while speaking at the United Nations Security Council Ministerial Meeting on Ukraine.

“Yesterday, 141 countries voted in the General Assembly for a resolution that reaffirms the core principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, denounces Russia’s atrocities, expresses support for a just and comprehensive peace, in accordance with the United Nations Charter,” Blinken said.

Blinken also appeared to downplay China’s peace proposal.

“For peace to be just, it must uphold the principles at the heart of the UN Charter: sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence,” Blinken said.

He added, “Any peace that legitimizes Russia’s seizure of land by force will weaken the charter and send a message to would-be aggressors everywhere that they can invade countries and get away with it.”

“No member of this council should call for peace while supporting Russia’s war on Ukraine and on the U.N. Charter.”