(CNSNews.com) – The Biden administration is doubling down on warnings that any China-instigated push for a ceasefire in Ukraine that freezes in place the Russian occupation of its territory would be unacceptable.
Using virtually identical language, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said at separate briefings on Monday that “the world should not be fooled by any tactical move by Russia,” aided by China or anyone else, “to freeze the war on its own terms.”
Any such move would violate the U.N. Charter, and “defy the will” of the 141 countries that voted in favor of a General Assembly resolution last month marking the one-year anniversary of the start of the Russian invasion, they said.
That resolution demanded that Russia “immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine, within its internationally recognized borders.”
The choreographed warnings from Blinken and Kirby, which followed similar remarks by Kirby in weekend media interviews, came ahead of talks in Moscow Tuesday between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Items on the agenda include Beijing’s proposals on a “political settlement of the Ukraine crisis,” a document released last month that calls for a ceasefire but not for Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukrainian territory.
“It’s fine for the Chinese to go out there and say they want a ceasefire,” Kirby said at the White House. “We’d all like a – we’d all like to see the fighting stop. Who wouldn’t?”
“But if it stops now, without any consideration of the Ukrainian side, without any discussion between the Chinese and the Ukrainians, without any accession by them to an idea of a ceasefire, it basically freezes in place what Mr. Putin has been able to achieve on the ground inside Ukraine,” he said.
Also eyeing the Putin-Xi meeting, Blinken said at the State Department earlier that any plan for ending the war that does not prioritize the principle of upholding Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity “is a stalling tactic at best, or is merely seeking to facilitate an unjust outcome.”
“That is not constructive diplomacy,” he said. “Calling for a ceasefire that does not include the removal of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory would effectively be supporting the ratification of Russian conquest. It would recognize Russia’s attempts to seize a sovereign neighbor’s territory by force.”
Xi’s three-day visit began with an informal meeting with Putin at the Kremlin on Monday night ahead of Tuesday’s more substantive discussions.
“We have carefully studied your proposals on resolving the acute Ukraine crisis and we will have an opportunity to discuss this matter,” Putin told his guest, according to a Kremlin transcript.
“We know that you are guided by the principles of justice and respect for the fundamental provisions of international law and indivisible security for all countries,” he said.
The principle of “indivisible security” refers to Russia’s argument that steps to enhance the security of eastern European countries by expanding NATO have come at the cost of Russia’s security and are therefore unacceptable.
A Chinese foreign ministry readout said Xi had stressed during the informal meeting that with regard to the Ukraine issue, “voices for peace and rationality are building.”
“Most countries support easing tensions, stand for peace talks, and are against adding fuel to the fire,” it quoted Xi as saying. “A review of history shows that conflicts in the end have to be settled through dialogue and negotiation.”
“China will continue to play a constructive role in promoting the political settlement of the Ukraine issue.”
At a U.N. briefing in New York, a spokesman for U.N. secretary-general Antonio Guterres was asked about Kirby’s assertions that a ceasefire without a Russian withdrawal would not serve Ukraine’s interests and amount to a violation of the U.N. Charter.
The reporter wondered if that raised a dilemma for the U.N. – a choice between having a ceasefire which according to Kirby would violate the U.N. Charter, and not having a ceasefire at the cost of even greater loss of life.
“Well, I wouldn’t comment on what his opinion is,” spokesman Farhan Haq replied. “That’s simply his opinion. We are in touch with the parties, and we are continuing to work to see what can be done to achieve a peace in line with the principles of the U.N. Charter, and like I said, also the resolutions of the General Assembly on this topic.”