The Foreign Ministry refuted media speculation on the matter as completely unfounded.
China has denied a media report suggesting its possible participation in a potential EU ‘peacekeeping’ force deployment to Ukraine, reiterating its support for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated during a Monday press briefing that the report by German news outlet Welt am Sonntag is “entirely untrue,” in response to a question about the claims.
The spokesperson affirmed that China’s stance “on the Ukraine crisis remains consistent and clear.”
Beijing asserts it has been actively promoting a diplomatic solution since the conflict’s escalation three years prior, proposing a 12-point peace plan in 2023 and sustaining communication with both Moscow and Kiev.
Guo previously conveyed Beijing’s belief that dialogue and negotiation represent the only feasible path to resolving the crisis.
Welt reported on Saturday, citing anonymous EU diplomats, that China was considering joining a potential ‘peacekeeping mission’ led by the UK and France.
The diplomats reportedly told the outlet that China’s involvement in the plan, which involves a ‘coalition of the willing,’ “could potentially increase Russia’s acceptance of peacekeeping forces in Ukraine.” Russia has consistently opposed the presence of Western troops in Ukraine, emphasizing that it would necessitate UN Security Council approval, where Moscow possesses veto power.
The concept of forming a group of nations prepared to offer military support to Kiev was initially put forth by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at an emergency summit held in London earlier this month.
According to The Telegraph on Sunday, UK military officials reportedly dismissed Starmer’s plan as “political theater,” stating that the prime minister had “got ahead of himself.”
The plan, encompassing the deployment of troops and aircraft, received endorsement from French President Emmanuel Macron, who clarified that Western forces would not be deployed to Ukraine until the situation on the ground is deemed safe for them. Macron and Starmer are scheduled to hold separate meetings in London and Paris this week, focusing on military planning for Ukraine.
In response to British and French initiatives to send troops to Ukraine, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev accused Starmer and Macron of “playing dumb” by presenting the deployment as a peacekeeping mission rather than a NATO contingent, warning that this move risks a full-scale war between the military alliance and Moscow.