PROSPECTS FOR PEACE IN UKRAINE

Amid the ongoing fierce fighting in Ukraine, attempts by several countries to initiate the peace process accelerated. While the West continues to arm the Kiev regime, China is taking the role of the main mediator for peace between the warring countries. In February of this year, China presented its 12-point peace plan, which Russian President Putin assessed as a possible basis for a diplomatic resolution. In April, for the first time since the beginning of hostilities, Xi Jinping held telephone talks with Ukrainian President Zelensky. Soon, the former Chinese ambassador to Russia, Li Hui, was appointed chief commissioner for Ukraine, and in May he launched a difficult round of negotiations with all parties to the conflict, including NATO member states. On May 17, he held talks with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine in Kiev. In the coming days, the China’s special representative will reportedly visit Russia, Poland, France and Germany. After Kiev, he will go to Brussels. At the moment, any results are too early to be predicted, but it is obvious that Beijing has every chance to become the main mediator for peace between Kiev and Moscow, sooner or later. South Africa also claims this role. The Presidents of Egypt, Zambia, Congo, Senegal and Uganda are involved in the development of the African Peace Initiative initiated by South African President Ramaphosa. The visits of the African delegation to Moscow and Kiev are planned in early June. During the peace mission, the heads of six states will travel between the capitals of Russia and Ukraine. In his turn, Pope Francis has repeatedly expressed his readiness to become a guarantor of peace in Ukraine, but he clearly does not take a neutral position in the conflict. The pontiff asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to “stop this spiral of violence and death,” and Zelensky to “be open to serious proposals for peace.” In early May, Francis announced that the Vatican was taking part in the work on a secret peacekeeping mission. To date, Russia has not received any proposals from the Vatican on a peaceful settlement in Ukraine. During his visit to Rome on May 13, Zelensky claimed that Kiev does not need intermediaries in negotiations with Moscow, because the dialogue should be based on his “peace formula’, which is out of touch of reality on the battlefield and was rejected by Moscow. Any fruitful peace process seems to be still a little foreseeable. However, the efforts of Turkey and the UN continue to support the points of contact between Moscow and Kiev. On May 17, the grain deal was extended for two months. Moscow again made concessions, still hoping that the misbalance in the deal would be eliminated.