Who Said What
China said the U.S. has been sending weapons to Ukraine, heightening tensions, creating panic and even hyping up the possibility of warfare, Xinhua reported. "A key question here is what role the U.S., the culprit of current tensions surrounding Ukraine, has played. If someone keeps pouring oil on the flame while accusing others of not doing their best to put out the fire, such kind of behavior is clearly irresponsible and immoral," China said.
Prior to February 24 events, China said that the legitimate security concerns of any country should be respected and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter should be jointly upheld. What has happened on the Ukraine issue has much to do with the long delay in the effective implementation of the Minsk-2 agreement, China said. China will continue to engage all parties based on the merits of the matter itself. It once again calls on all parties to exercise restraint, appreciate the importance of implementing the principle of indivisible security and de-escalate the situation and resolve differences through dialogue and negotiations.
At the time of the opening of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, Russia and China signed multiple agreements as follows:
- agreement on cooperation in anti-monopoly legislation and competitive policy
- interoperability of navigation satellite systems
- commercial contracts related to natural gas and crude oil deliveries
- Democratic Principles: Certain States' attempts to impose their own "democratic standards" on other countries, to monopolize the right to assess the level of compliance with democratic criteria, to draw dividing lines based on the grounds of ideology, including by establishing exclusive blocs and alliances of convenience, prove to be nothing but flouting of democracy and go against the spirit and true values of democracy.
- oppose the abuse of democratic values and interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states under the pretext of protecting democracy and human rights, and any attempts to incite divisions and confrontation in the world.
- The sides are gravely concerned about serious international security challenges and believe that the fates of all nations are interconnected. No State can or should ensure its own security separately from the security of the rest of the world and at the expense of the security of other States. The international community should actively engage in global governance to ensure universal, comprehensive, indivisible and lasting security.
- The sides believe that certain States, military and political alliances and coalitions seek to obtain, directly or indirectly, unilateral military advantages to the detriment of the security of others, including by employing unfair competition practices, intensify geopolitical rivalry, fuel antagonism and confrontation, and seriously undermine the international security order and global strategic stability.
- The sides oppose further enlargement of NATO and call on the North Atlantic Alliance to abandon its ideologized Cold War approaches, to respect the sovereignty, security and interests of other countries, the diversity of their civilizational, cultural and historical backgrounds, and to exercise a fair and objective attitude towards the peaceful development of other States.
- The sides stand against the formation of closed bloc structures and opposing camps in the Asia-Pacific region and remain highly vigilant about the negative impact of the United States' Indo-Pacific strategy on peace and stability in the region.
- Russia and China have made consistent efforts to build an equitable, open and inclusive security system in the Asia-Pacific Region (APR) that is not directed against third countries and that promotes peace, stability and prosperity.
France's President Macron said in a tweet that France "strongly condemns Russia's decision to wage war on Ukraine. Russia must end its military operations immediately. France stands in solidarity with Ukraine. It stands with Ukrainians and is working with its partners and allies to end the war."
Britain's Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss said: "We have put in place our toughest sanctions regime against Russia. Nothing is off the table. This first wave will target the individuals and companies closest to the Kremlin. I held a conference call with our G7 allies to agree to the next package. This is the start of a closely coordinated effort to ratchet up the pressure."
"Truss reiterated the UK's commitment in standing ready to guarantee up to $500 million in loans to support Ukraine and mitigate the economic effects of Russian aggression," the BBC reported. "Labour Party leader Keir Starmer has called for the Russian state-controlled television network, Russia Today, to have its UK operation shut down in response to the advance of Russian troops into south-eastern Ukraine on Monday," the BBC added.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that "we will not accept this violation of Ukraine's sovereignty by Russia" and vowed to implement severe sanctions together with Germany's allies. He said Putin "is on his own. It was not the Russian people who decided to go to war. He alone bears full responsibility for it. This war is Putin's war."
He added that "Putin should not underestimate NATO's determination to defend all its members. That applies explicitly to our NATO partners in the Baltic States, in Poland and in Romania, in Bulgaria and in Slovakia. Without ifs and buts. Germany and its allies know how to protect themselves."
Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran is monitoring the developments in Ukraine with sensitivity," adding "unfortunately, NATO's provocative measures and interventions, led by the U.S., have further complicated the situation in the region" and that " the continuation of U.S.-backed NATO provocations has led to a situation in which the Eurasian region is on the verge of entering a comprehensive crisis." He called for an immediate ceasefire to find a political solution to the crisis.
Turkey's President Recep Erdogan condemned Russia for its attack against Ukraine. Ankara considers both Moscow and Kiev friends and "feels true regret" over their military conflict, Ergodan said as quoted by the Anadolu news agency. Russia's operation "violates international law and poses a threat to regional stability," he said.
Czech President Milos Zeman is said to have "criticized Moscow's military actions in the Donbass region and called for Russia to be cut off from the SWIFT international payment system."
The Cuban Foreign Ministry noted: "The efforts made by the United
States to impose the progressive expansion of NATO towards the borders
of the Russian Federation are a threat against the national security of
this country and regional and international peace. The government of
the United States has been for weeks threatening Russia and
manipulating the international community about the risks of an
"imminent massive invasion" of Ukraine. It has supplied weapons and
military technology; it has deployed troops in several countries of the
region; it has applied unilateral and unjust sanctions and threatened
to apply other reprisals. At the same time, it launched an anti-Russia
media campaign."
Vietnam said it has kept a close watch on the recent tensions, and called on relevant sides to practice self-restraint, step up dialogue efforts and promote diplomatic measures to peacefully deal with conflicts in line with the United Nations Charter and basic principles of international law, contributing to ensuring peace, security and stability in the region and the world at large.
Syria's permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Bassam Sabbagh, said Syria has affirmed its condemnation of Western hostile practices, stances and campaigns which target Russia and the attempts to offend it, noting that some Western countries, particularly the United States, fabricated the Ukrainian crisis to undermine Russian national security.
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said, "Our task now is to protect the state border of Belarus with NATO member states -- Poland and Lithuania." The Belarusian Telegraph Agency reported on February 24 that, according to Lukashenko, the Polish leadership can use the current situation for its own advantage: "They will capitalize on this conflict to boost the ratings of PiS [the ruling Law and Justice party in Poland] and Duda [Andrzej Duda, President of Poland] has gone mad as this party is very unpopular now. This conflict comes in handy for them."
"According to the data as of now, over 30,000 troops with military hardware, armaments and so on are amassed in Poland on the border with Belarus and in the Baltic states," Lukashenko said.
"Warsaw has turned to the North Atlantic bloc's leadership with a request to deploy a multilayered logistics and maintenance support system in that region. As persons familiar with military affairs, we immediately ask: Why?" he pointed out.
The Belarusian President also said, "From 8,000 to 10,000 U.S. troops are deployed on the territory of Poland and the Baltic states on a rotating basis. What do the Americans have to do there? Why do they reproach us and Russia that we hold maneuvers, drills and so on while they have come here from far away? What will you be doing here?" He continued, "[S]ome 'hot heads' are already openly calling for a war. ...We are hearing these statements."
Paris, February 19, 2022.
We are providing below the statements of the President of the Russian Federation, of the President of the United States and the G7 Leaders’ Statement.
For the statement of the President of the Russian Federation, February 24, click here.
For the statement of the President of the United States, February 24, click here.
For the G7 Leaders’ Statement, February 24, click here.
This article was published in
Volume 52 Number 2 - February 25, 2022
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2022/Articles/MS52028.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca