China calls for Ukraine ceasefire with 12-point peace plan

The proposal comes days after the US accused Beijing of preparing to arm Russia, a claim China said lacked any evidence

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  February 24 will be a year since Russia started the Ukraine war. The National picks out the most powerful images from the conflict. AFP

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  A member of Ukraine's 79th Air Assault Brigade fires a rocket-propelled grenade at Russian positions near Marinka in February. Reuters

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  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses MPs in Westminster Hall, London, in February 2023. Getty Images

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  Destroyed buildings 32km west of the front lines in Donetsk in January. Getty Images

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  An anti-aircraft gun in January fires at Russian positions near Bakhmut, Donetsk. Reuters

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  Destruction in the village of Bohorodychne, Donetsk. AFP

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  A Ukrainian artilleryman discards an empty shell on the outskirts of Bakhmut, eastern Ukraine, in December 2022. AFP

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  Children receive presents from a Ukrainian soldier dressed as Santa on Christmas Eve in Sloviansk. Getty Images

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  More than 1,000 missiles and rockets fired by Russian forces collected for cataloguing in Kharkiv in December 2022. Getty Images

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  The Metro provides shelter as Russia launches another missile attack on Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, in December 2022. Getty Images

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  Children at a PE class in Kyiv after Russia abandoned its attempt to seize the capital in November 2022. Getty Images

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  A sniper searches for Russian positions on the bank of the Dnipro river in Kherson in November 2022. Getty Images

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  Graffiti by Banksy on a wall among the debris in Borodyanka in November 2022. Getty Images

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  Ukrainian flags flutter around graves in a cemetery for soldiers killed in action in Kharkiv in October 2022. Getty Images

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  Parts of a drone, which Ukrainian authorities said was Iranian-made, after a Russian strike in Kyiv in October 2022. Reuters

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  An elderly woman is helped across a damaged bridge in Bakhmut in October 2022. Getty Images

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  Fuel tanks ablaze on damaged sections of the Kerch bridge in Crimea, in October 2022. Reuters

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  A destroyed bridge makes crossing the Donets river difficult, in Staryi Saltiv, east of Kharkiv, in September 2022. AFP

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  Firefighters at a thermal power plant in Kharkiv damaged by a Russian missile strike in September 2022. Reuters

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  Ukrainian soldier Oleksandr with his daughter Nikole at Lviv railway station in August 2022. Getty Images

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  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and then-British prime minister Boris Johnson read a plaque in Kyiv in August 2022 dedicated to the latter for his support. Getty Images

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  Destroyed Russian military equipment on Khreshchatyk street in Kyiv. The materiel was turned into an open-air military museum ahead of Ukraine's Independence Day on August 24. AFP

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  Shakhtar Donetsk v Metalist Kharkiv kicks off the Ukrainian Premier League season in August 2022 amid fears of bomb and missile alerts. EPA

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  Ukrainian servicemen fire an American-made 155mm M777 howitzer in July 2022 in the Kharkiv area. EPA

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  A bomb crater on the Antonovsky bridge across the Dnipro river in Kherson, July 2022. AFP

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  Maksym and Andrii with plastic guns at a 'checkpoint' they set up while playing in Kharkiv, July 2022. AP

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  Ukrainian troops on Snake Island in June 2022. Reuters

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  A woman evacuated from an area of conflict in June 2022 contemplates what the next move might be. AP

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  Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Kyiv in June 2022. Getty Images

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  Graves in Irpin cemetery, May 2022. Getty Images

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  A Ukrainian soldier trapped within the besieged Azovstal Iron and Steel Works complex in Mariupol in May 2022. Reuters

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  The wreckage of a Russian helicopter in a bomb-cratered field in Biskvitne, May 2022. Getty Images

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  A Ukrainian army officer inspects a grain warehouse shelled by Russian forces in May 2022 near Novovorontsovka, Kherson. Getty Images

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  A boy from Mariupol arriving at an evacuation point in Zaporizhzhia in May 2022. Getty Images

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  A Russian serviceman on guard outside Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in May 2022. AFP

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  Oksana searches for salvageable items on the destroyed second floor of her home in Hostomel, April 2022. Getty Images

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  A floral memorial wall in Lviv for Ukrainian civilians killed during the Russian invasion, April 2022. Getty Images

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  People fleeing Lviv, eastern Ukraine, in April 2022, wait for a bus that will take them to Poland. Getty Images

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  A Russian soldier patrols a bombed Mariupol theatre in April 2022, as Moscow intensified its campaign to take the strategic port city. AFP

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  A Ukrainian celebrates success in Hostomel in April 2022. Getty Images

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  Julia Palovskaya reads to children during an air raid drill in the basement shelter at a preschool in Lviv, April 2022. Getty Images

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  Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Bucha in April 2022, where hundreds of bodies were found in the street and it was claimed the Russian leadership was responsible for killing civilians. AFP

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  Oleh Smolin, 23, who suffered leg injuries from Russian shelling in April 2022, in hospital in Chuhuiv. Getty Images

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  Fleeing refugees arrive at the border train station of Zahony, Hungary, in March 2022. Getty Images

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  A father says goodbye to his daughter on an evacuation train about to leave Odesa in March 2022. AFP

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  Ukrainians under a destroyed bridge as they try to cross the Irpin river on the outskirts of Kyiv in March 2022. AP

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  People cram into Kyiv station to catch trains to Poland or to western parts of Ukraine, shortly after the initial invasion in February 2022. Getty Images

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  A demonstration in support of Ukraine in Trafalgar Square, London, February 2022 . Getty Images

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  Russian army vehicles in Armyansk, Crimea, in February 2022. AFP

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  Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on February 25, 2022, in a video on Facebook. He said 'we are all here', shortly after the Russian invasion began. AFP

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  A residential building damaged by a missile strike in Kyiv in February 2022. Getty Images

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  A metro station in Kyiv in February 2022, crowded with people trying to escape the invasion. AFP

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  A police officer addresses people gathered to protest against the invasion of Ukraine, in central Saint Petersburg, Russia, February 2022. AFP

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  A protester in support of Ukraine, in Berlin, Germany, in February 2022. Getty Images

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  Ukrainian soldiers prepare to repel an attack in Ukraine's Lugansk region on February 24, 2022. AFP

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  Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on February 24, 2022, after Russia launched a full-scale invasion. AFP

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  A mass exodus from Kyiv after pre-offensive missile strikes by Russian armed forces on February 24, 2022. Getty Images

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  Security personnel inspect the remains of a shell in Kyiv on February 24, 2022, soon after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a military operation in Ukraine. AFP

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  CCTV footage shows Russian military equipment crossing a Crimea border checkpoint on February 24, 2022. AFP

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  Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin early on February 24, 2022, when he announced a 'military operation' in Ukraine. AFP

China has called for a ceasefire between Ukraine and Moscow and the opening of peace talks in a 12-point proposal to end the fighting that started one year ago.

“Conflict and war benefit no one. All parties must stay rational and exercise restraint, avoid fanning the flames and aggravating tensions, and prevent the crisis from deteriorating further or even spiralling out of control,” the Chinese government said in a statement on Friday.

Beijing insists it remains neutral on the conflict despite saying it has a “no limits” relationship with Russia and having refused to criticise the invasion of Ukraine or even refer to it as such.

It has accused the West of provoking the conflict and “fanning the flames” by providing Ukraine with defensive arms. The US has also said China may be preparing to provide Russia with military aid, something Beijing says lacks evidence.

The move was cautiously welcomed by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“I think that, in general, the fact that China started talking about peace in Ukraine, I think that it is not bad. It is important for us that all states are on our side, on the side of justice,” he said at a news conference on Thursday with Spain's prime minister.

Ukraine’s charge d'affaires in Beijing Zhanna Leshchynska also called it a “good sign” and said they expect China to be more active in its support of Ukraine.

“We hope they also urge Russia to stop the war and withdraw its troops,” Ms Leshchynska said.

The 12-point plan issued on Friday morning by China’s Foreign Ministry urges an end of Western sanctions imposed on Russia and includes measures to keep nuclear facilities safe, establish humanitarian corridors for civilians and ensure the export of grain after disruptions inflated global food prices.

It mainly elaborated on long-held Chinese positions, including that all countries' “sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity” be guaranteed.

“Dialogue and negotiation are the only viable way out to resolve Ukraine crisis,” the proposal said.

It offered no details on what form talks should take, any preconditions or which countries should be involved, but said “China is willing to continue to play a constructive role in this regard”.

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  The Eiffel Tower in Paris is lit up in the blue-and-yellow colours of Ukraine. Reuters

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  A vigil for Ukraine on the anniversary of the conflict with Russia, at Trafalgar Square in London on February 23. Reuters

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  Ukrainians at the London vigil. EPA

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  A child holds a Ukrainian flag during the Trafalgar Square vigil. Reuters

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  Ukrainians at Trafalgar Square. EPA

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  Ukrainians at Trafalgar Square. EPA

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  A young girl sits on her father's shoulders at the gathering. EPA

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  The Trafalgar Square vigil organised by the Ukrainian and US embassies in London for the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion. AP

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  The Trafalgar Square vigil organised by the Ukrainian and US embassies in London for the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion. AP

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  The Trafalgar Square vigil organised by the Ukrainian and US embassies in London for the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion. Reuters

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  The Trafalgar Square vigil organised by the Ukrainian and US embassies in London for the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion. AP

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  A father carries a child on his shoulders at the vigil. AP

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  The vigil at Trafalgar Square on Thursday. AP

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  The vigil at Trafalgar Square on Thursday. AP

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  The vigil at Trafalgar Square on Thursday. Reuters

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  The Ukrainian ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko, addresses the London Vigil. Reuters

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  British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, speaks at the vigil. PA

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  Actress and activist Helen Mirren addresses the London vigil. PA

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  Tourists in Paris with balloons as the Eiffel Tower is lit in Ukraine's colours. AP

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  The Eiffel Tower light show in support of Ukraine. AFP

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  Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo speaks alongside the Ukrainian ambassador to France, Vadym Omelchenko, during an event to light Eiffel Tower in the colours of the Ukrainian flag on Thursday. AFP

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  Avaaz activists and Ukrainian refugees on Thursday leave thousands of children's teddy bears and toys at Schuman Roundabout in front of the European Commission in Brussels to highlight the reported abduction 6,000 Ukrainian children by Russia. AP for Avaaz. org

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  A Ukrainian refugee leaves a teddy bear in front of the European Commission building in Brussels. AP for Avaaz.org

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  The EU Council and Commission buildings are lit in the colours of the Ukrainian flag on Thursday night. EPA

It also called an end to the “Cold War mentality” — China's standard term for what it regards as US hegemony, interference in other countries' affairs and maintenance of alliances such as Nato.

“A country’s security cannot be at the expense of other countries’ security, and regional security cannot be guaranteed by strengthening or even expanding military blocs,” the proposal said.

“The legitimate security interests and concerns of all countries should be taken seriously and properly addressed.”

China abstained on Thursday when the UN General Assembly approved a non-binding resolution that calls for Russia to end hostilities in Ukraine and withdraw its forces.

It is one of 16 countries that either voted against or abstained on almost all of five previous resolutions on Ukraine.

India, which has sought to balance relations with Russia and the West, also abstained.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said earlier on Thursday that the US would reserve judgment on China’s proposal but that Beijing’s allegiance with Russia meant it was not a neutral mediator.

However, he said China’s relationship with Russia put it in a good position for such proposals.

“[We hope that] all countries that have a relationship with Russia unlike the one that we have will use that leverage, will use that influence to push Russia meaningfully and usefully to end this brutal war of aggression. [China] is in a position to do that in ways that we just aren’t.”

The EU’s ambassador to China, Jorge Toledo, said they were studying the proposal.

“If the position paper is a positive sign for Ukraine then it's a positive sign for the EU, although we are studying the paper closely,” he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday hailed “new frontiers” in ties between Moscow and Beijing and signalled China's leader Xi Jinping would visit. Xi is expected to deliver a “peace speech” on Friday.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi reaffirmed the strength of their bilateral ties when he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow this week.

However, China has said that Ukraine conflict is “not something it wishes to see”, and has repeatedly said any use of nuclear weapons would be completely unacceptable, in an implied repudiation of Putin’s statement that Russia would use “all available means” to protect its territory.

The line was reiterated in Beijing’s peace plan proposal.

“There are no winners in conflict wars,” it said.

“All parties should maintain rationality and restraint … support Russia and Ukraine to meet each other, resume direct dialogue as soon as possible, gradually promote the de-escalation and relaxation of the situation, and finally reach a comprehensive ceasefire,” it said.

Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Beijing’s Renmin University, said China's proposal was necessary.

“China’s peace proposal does not change but combines its comprehensive positions on the crisis and war in Ukraine,” Mr Shi told AP.

China's position “always falls far short of Russia's preference but still meet criticism from the West and its allies”, Mr Shi said.

“China feels it necessary to repeat its self-perceived neutrality at this juncture, to save some international inference by not only criticising Nato but also distinguishing itself from Russia’s behaviour.”