Prospects for any mediation on settlement on Ukraine is doubtful, because now it is obvious that everything will be decided on the battlefield. This position was voiced by the first deputy chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, former Ambassador of the Russian Federation to China Andrey Denisov.
Answering a question in an interview with TASS whether Beijing could become a mediator in the Ukrainian settlement, the parliamentarian noted that "China, in general, does not pretend to this role, there is no such conversation yet."
"And it seems to me that mediation in general is some kind of dubious topic from the point of view of reaching an agreement. Anyway, one way or another, the further it goes, the more it becomes clear that everything is decided, ultimately, on the battlefield," Denisov said.
In this regard, he stated that the US attempts to facilitate the settlement of the conflict on the Ukraine has not yet been "crowned with success."
"It seems that [they] tried, and still [are trying] to play the role of such, not that a mediator, but a kind of transmission link, sending us not negotiators, but trusted representatives of the American leadership to clarify the position, bring their views to us, and so on. All this, as we see, has not been crowned with success," the Federation Council senator added.
He drew attention to the fact that Beijing demonstrates an understanding of Moscow's concerns about its own security, and this was reflected in the 12-point document proposed by China in 2023 to resolve the crisis in the Ukraine.
"After all, we are talking about a cease-fire, but only if and when an understanding is reached on the root causes of the conflict. This position is quite reasonable," Denisov recalled, specifying that it also says about the inadmissibility of sanctions pressure.
"If you look at that plan, it has already gone down in history to a certain extent, now few people remember it — but it was a fairly balanced document. China continues to adhere to this position even now," the senator said, stressing that a wide range of countries are guided by Beijing's opinion "as a major force in international relations."
IV International Forum "Sprouts: Russia and China — mutually beneficial cooperation" was held in Kazan on August 16-19.