GERMANY/CHINA: There had been a clash between Annalena Baerbock, the German Foreign Minister, and the Chinese diplomats on Thursday, who had rejected the claim that the west was instigating the war by providing arms to Ukraine. Baerbock stated that it was high time that China tell Russia to stop the attacks.
The UN general assembly, in a debate, marked the one-year fulfilment of Ukraine’s attacks, which is seen as an important measure of the state of world opinion. China happened to propose a plethora of measures: a ceasefire, dialogue, security guarantees for Russia, protecting civilians, and maintaining the integrity of the territories.
Dai Bing, the deputy envoy of China to the UN, said the West was basically “adding fuel to the fire,” which will only exacerbate tensions. This remark was not seen in a good light by Baerbock, who rejected his claim and stated that the west was adding up to the military expenditure in lieu of other priorities that are of immediate concern to the ordinary people.
She said, “We didn’t want this conflict. We did not pick this conflict.” She continued, adding that her administration “would much rather focus all of our resources on improving our public schools, addressing the climate crisis, and advancing social justice.”
“The truth is that the war will end if Russia stops fighting, and if Ukraine stops fighting, Ukraine will end,” she added.
She mentioned the peace plan for Ukraine that was called the UN Charter, with its principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity, and the non-use of force. She said, “Today, each and every one of us has the chance to help this peace plan by ordering the aggressor to halt.”
Some of the European voices as well as a few of the African nations abstained from speaking up. Catherine Colonna, the French Foreign Minister, said that this war was “everyone’s business,” highlighting that “none of us would be able to sleep easy in a world when a great power can at its own discretion attack its neighbours.”
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