Editor’s note: On 24 February 2023, China’s foreign ministry released a 12-point document calling for peace talks and outlining what it called “China’s Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis,” including a statement that nuclear weapons must not be used. However, the document did not acknowledge that Russia had invaded Ukraine or call for the withdrawal of Russian troops. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the principles outlined in the document would be examined, but that they must be understood “against the backdrop that China has taken sides.”
Twenty-four hours after Vladimir Putin launched his full invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, he received a phone call from Xi Jinping. The Chinese leader wasn’t calling to condemn the Russian invasion. Instead, Xi thanked Putin for attending the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics that month and told him that “China supports Russia in resolving the issue through negotiation with Ukraine”.
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