End of the war in Ukraine? China was to make a surprising declaration
In Brussels, the Beijing plan met with mixed reception.
On the one hand, as diplomats say, the involvement of the countries of the Global South, such as China, could promote acceptance for the stationing of foreign forces to monitor the room.
On the other hand, “however, there is a risk that China wants above all spy on and in case of conflict instead of a neutral position they will be clearly taken by the pro -Russian position, “says a high -ranking EU diplomat familiar with current conversations.
The authorities in Beijing, however, would be ready for this step only “if the peace forces were arranged on the basis of the mandate of the United Nations (UN)”.
In addition, most EU countries are not too willing to first equip any peace forces with a UN mandate for various reasons. Italy has definitely been in favor of such a solution for months.
On Wednesday, in connection with the debate on security guarantee for Ukraine, which Western countries strive for – including the distribution of peace forces – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Ławrow ruled out an agreement without Russia's participationand maybe also China.
“Utopia”
“The West perfectly understands that a serious discussion about a security guarantee without the participation of the Russian Federation is a utopia,” said Lavrov. The Minister of Foreign Affairs denied the same US President Donald Trump, who after Tuesday's telephone conversation with the Russian leader Vladimir Putin said that he did not think that European security guarantees were a problem for the head of the Kremlin.
President of Ukraine Wołodymyr Zelnski rejected Lavrov's demands regarding the participation of China. “We need security guarantee only from those countries that are ready to help us,” he said. Beijing has been supporting Moscow since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, buying oil for billions of dollars and providing electronic components for the production of precise weapons. In addition, both countries maintain a partnership that they describe as “boundless”.
According to the West, safety guarantees for Ukraine include a wide range and They are not limited to military support In the event of an attack on the country, modeled on the obligation to provide assistance contained in art. 5 NATO Treaty. This is due to the statement of the Western G-7 economic power group-which includes United States and Germany – from mid -July 2023 and from “Common Security obligations between the EU and Ukraine” from the end of July 2024.
According to them, security guarantees also include training of Ukrainian forces, supplies of weapons, help in building the defense industry, intelligence information, sanctions, economic cooperation and gradual accession of Ukraine to the EU.
European expectations
Currently, Europeans are interested not in the long -term provision of military assistance in the event of an attack – Ukraine would constitute the first line of defense, Europe, and in the event of any time countries from outside Europe, the second line of defense, and the United States third support in the form of air assistance – how much direct assurance weapon suspension or peace.
The high -ranking EU diplomats said that, unlike earlier actions on the front, to monitor compliance with a weapon suspension, it could be used primarily drone. The mandate must determine what will happen in the event of a violation of a weapon suspension.
War actions in Ukraine, August 21, 2025 (Review)
It would be possible, as in the case of monitoring the Minsk agreements regarding the termination of the conflict in Ukraine after the annexation of Crimea in 2014 by the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), so that the violations of the suspension of weapons would only be registered and reported. However, the mandate could be formulated in such a way that in the event of a conflict, soldiers could intervene.
Fears of the withdrawal of American troops
In the Brussels headquarters of NATO, plans to withdraw US troops from Europe are eagerly awaited. It was originally expected that the US Secretary of State in the Defense Department of Elbridge A. Colby would present these plans in the first half of September. Currently, officials expect that this will happen only after the end of the Russian-Belarusian maneuvers in mid-September.
According to the information, Colby will present his plans at the end of September at the earliest. NATO circles expect that Washington will withdraw from Europe “from 40,000 to 70,000 out of a total of 100,000 soldiers”.
Some American branches will then probably be placed on the US to secure borders or maintain public security in cities. In addition, it was found that the political guidelines of the alliance as part of NATO defense planning could be adapted earlier than originally planned for 2027.
