Latest news with #FriendsofPeace
RTHK
12-08-2025
- Politics
- RTHK
All countries should oppose unilateralism: Xi
All countries should oppose unilateralism: Xi President Xi Jinping calls on Global South countries to jointly safeguard international fairness and justice during his phone conversation with his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. File photo: Xinhua President Xi Jinping told his Brazilian counterpart on Tuesday the two countries could set an example of "self-reliance" for emerging powers, as trade and geopolitical challenges mount. In a phone call with Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Xi also said all countries should unite and firmly oppose unilateralism and protectionism. The two leaders have both in recent months presented their countries as staunch defenders of the multilateral trading system, in stark contrast with US President Donald Trump's tariff onslaught. Their phone call came just hours after Trump announced another 90-day pause to blistering tariffs on China. It also followed indications from Lula last week he planned to speak with the leaders of China and India to consider a coordinated response to US trade measures. Xi told Lula that China would "work with Brazil to set an example of unity and self-reliance among major countries in the Global South, and jointly build a more just world and more sustainable planet", according to Xinhua News Agency. Xi called on Global South countries to jointly safeguard international fairness and justice, defend the basic norms governing international relations, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries, Xinhua reported. The president also said ties between China and Brazil are now at an all-time high. Xi said China and Brazil should continue to address global challenges, ensure the success of the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference in the Brazilian city of Belem, and promote the "Friends of Peace" group's role in facilitating the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis. A statement by the Brazilian presidency said the phone call lasted about an hour, and the two leaders discussed a range of topics including the war in Ukraine and the fight against climate change. "Both agreed on the role of the G20 and Brics in defending multilateralism," the statement said. Lula spoke highly of China's efforts to uphold multilateralism and safeguard free trade rules, as well as its responsible role in international affairs. The two leaders also "committed to expanding the scope of cooperation in sectors such as health, oil and gas, digital economy and satellites", the statement added. China has surpassed the United States as Brazil's largest trading partner, and two-thirds of Latin American countries have signed up to the Belt and Road infrastructure drive. Lula conducted a five-day state visit to China in May, when he told a forum for cooperation between Beijing and Latin America that his region did not want to "start a new Cold War". (AFP/Xinhua)
Egypt Independent
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Egypt welcomes diplomatic efforts for holding direct talks to resolve Ukraine crisis
Egypt has praised constructive diplomatic efforts and contacts aimed at reaching a peaceful resolution to the Ukrainian crisis, welcoming a Russian proposal to hold direct talks with Ukraine on May 15. Egypt also lauded Ukraine's indication of its willingness to respond positively to this proposal. A statement issued Monday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Expatriates, emphasized that the willingness of the parties involved in the conflict to engage in direct negotiations represents a critical and essential step toward achieving a resolution to the protracted Ukrainian crisis. 'Such a development could mark the beginning of a new phase that enables dialogue and addresses the concerns of the parties, ultimately leading to sustainable peace that restores security and stability across the European continent,' the statement read. Egypt reaffirmed its longstanding commitment to the peaceful resolution of conflicts, expressing its support for all initiatives and efforts aimed at ending the crisis. The ministry highlighted that Egypt has previously participated in Arab and African initiatives, as well as the 'Friends of Peace' group, all of which have called for a settlement to the Ukrainian conflict.
Egypt Today
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Today
Egypt hails Russian proposal on talks with Ukraine as ‘crucial' to settlement
CAIRO - 12 May 2025: Egypt appreciates the constructive diplomatic efforts and contacts aimed at resolving the Ukrainian crisis peacefully, according to a Monday statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Referring to the Russian proposal to hold direct talks with Ukraine on May 15, and the Ukrainians' willingness to respond to this proposal, Egypt said this is crucial to reaching a settlement to the crisis. This paves the way for a new phase that will contribute to discussing and addressing the concerns of the parties to the conflict, leading to sustainable peace that restores security and stability to the European continent, the statement said. 'Egypt reiterates that for decades it has emphasized the need to resolve conflicts through peaceful means and has expressed its support for initiatives and efforts aimed at ending the crisis,' the statement added. Egypt has previously participated in Arab, African, and "Friends of Peace" initiatives calling for a settlement to the Ukrainian crisis.
Middle East
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Middle East
OPEN// Egypt welcomes diplomatic efforts for holding direct talks to resolve Ukraine crisis
CAIRO, May 12 (MENA) - Egypt has praised constructive diplomatic efforts and contacts aimed at reaching a peaceful resolution to the Ukrainian crisis, welcoming a Russian proposal to hold direct talks with Ukraine on May 15. Egypt also lauded Ukraine's indication of its willingness to respond positively to this proposal. A statement issued Monday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Expatriates, emphasized that the willingness of the parties involved in the conflict to engage in direct negotiations represents a critical and essential step toward achieving a resolution to the protracted Ukrainian crisis. 'Such a development could mark the beginning of a new phase that enables dialogue and addresses the concerns of the parties, ultimately leading to sustainable peace that restores security and stability across the European continent,' the statement read. Egypt reaffirmed its longstanding commitment to the peaceful resolution of conflicts, expressing its support for all initiatives and efforts aimed at ending the crisis. The ministry highlighted that Egypt has previously participated in Arab and African initiatives, as well as the "Friends of Peace" group, all of which have called for a settlement to the Ukrainian conflict. (MENA) R E E/
AllAfrica
23-04-2025
- Politics
- AllAfrica
Ukraine path to peace narrows as Trump drive wanes
After more than three years of war, the prospects of peace for Ukraine remain slim. There is no obvious credible pathway even to a ceasefire, given Russia's refusal to extend a brief and shaky truce over Easter. This, despite the US, UK and Ukraine all signalling their support for this idea. And even if the considerable hurdles impeding a ceasefire deal could be overcome, a more fundamental problem would remain. None of the key players in the conflict appear to have a plan for an agreement that is likely to be acceptable to Kyiv and Moscow. Previous plans, such as a joint proposal by China and Brazil in May last year, which was supported by a Chinese-led 'Friends of Peace' group, were primarily focused on a ceasefire as a stepping stone to negotiations about an actual peace agreement. This and other plans were all light on the details of what a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine would entail, but were nonetheless roundly rejected by Ukraine and its western allies as favouring Russia. Given that a ceasefire would simply freeze the front lines and very likely make them permanent with or without a subsequent peace agreement, this was not an unreasonable position. What Ukraine proposed instead, however – and what its western allies backed, at least rhetorically – was hardly more viable. The peace plan proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in December 2022 was already on life support at the time of the first 'Summit on Peace in Ukraine' in Switzerland in June 2024. Only 84 of the 100 delegations attending the summit (out of 160 invited) supported a watered-down version of Zelensky's plan in their final communique, and there was no agreement on a follow-up meeting. Ukraine's peace plan was clearly dead in the water. Ukraine then proposed an 'internal resilience plan'. With its its focus on ensuring that the country can survive a long war of attrition with Russia, this is anything but a peace plan. But it serves Kyiv's needs to avoid an unconditional surrender to Moscow. This is also high on the agenda for Ukraine's European allies who remain committed to supporting Kyiv. For the emerging European coalition of the willing, it is important to keep Ukraine in the fight while they build up their own defences. They face the possibility of a new international order in which the world might well be carved up into US, Russian and Chinese spheres of influence. Such a carve-up is at the heart of efforts by US President Donald Trump, who is trying to secure a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine as well as a deal that would give the US privileged access to Ukrainian resources. Having initially fallen apart during an extraordinarily acrimonious press conference in the White House on February 28, this deal now appears to be relatively close to conclusion. The ceasefire deal Trump appears to envisage would divide Ukraine itself into spheres of influence according to a plan recently suggested by Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg. Yet even such a pro-Moscow arrangement that would offer Putin control of 20% of Ukraine continues to elude negotiators. At present, the Russian president has few incentives to settle for less than his maximum demands and stop a war that he thinks he is still able to win on the battlefield, particularly given Trump's unwillingness to exert any meaningful pressure on Russia. At times, it now appears more likely that Trump will simply abandon his efforts to end the fighting in Ukraine. From a Russian perspective, this would be preferable to a ceasefire that freezes the conflict but doesn't lead to a peace deal reflecting Moscow's demands. The likely calculation in the Kremlin is that even if the 2026 mid-term elections in the US water down Trump's power, that still leaves two more years to conquer more Ukrainian territory. Should Washington then make another push for a ceasefire, Moscow could claim any additional conquests as a price for Ukraine to pay for a settlement. Even if Trump does not walk away from the negotiations now, and even if his special envoy Steve Witkoff ultimately manages to cobble together a deal, this will more likely look like a ceasefire than like a peace agreement. The simple reason for this is that Russia's and Ukraine's positions on an acceptable outcome have not shifted. Putin remains committed to the full annexation of four complete Ukrainian regions as well as retaining Crimea. Zelensky has repeatedly ruled out territorial concessions and is broadly supported by Ukrainians in this stance. For the West, the reality that a peace agreement is close to impossible on terms satisfying all sides has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. To the extent that there are any joint efforts by Ukraine, the US and the European coalition of the willing, they are completely centred on a workable ceasefire. At a meeting of foreign ministers and high-level officials in Paris on April 17, discussions were focused on making such a ceasefire sustainable. While details of how this can be achieved remain unclear, the fact that there now appears to be a more inclusive negotiations track signals progress, at least on the process of negotiations. Whether this will lead to an actual breakthrough towards a sustainable ceasefire, however, will depend on their substance and whether Ukraine and Russia can ultimately agree on terms about disengagement of forces, monitoring, and guarantees and enforcement mechanisms. This is an already incredibly high bar, and the bar for a subsequent peace agreement is higher yet. In the current stage of Russia's war against Ukraine, a ceasefire is clearly a precondition for a peace agreement. But the sole focus on the former will not make the latter any more likely. What's more, given Russia's track record of reneging on the Minsk ceasefire agreements of September 2014 and February 2015, investing everything in a ceasefire deal might turn out not just a self-fulfilling but a self-defeating prophecy for Ukraine and its supporters. Stefan Wolff is professor of international security, University of Birmingham and Tetyana Malyarenko is professor of international security, Jean Monnet Professor of European Security, National University Odesa Law Academy This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
