"The Ukrainian government has drawn up plans to ensure the continuity of the Ukrainian government if President Zelenskiy dies."
On the day the third round of negotiations was about to begin, the United States announced the plan.
On the same day, the Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that there is no comparison in the current situation in the Taiwan Strait that has been questioned during the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. The Taiwan issue is entirely China's internal affair, while the Ukraine issue is a dispute between two countries.
Who is planned to take over?
U.S. Secretary of State Blinken said on March 6 while attending a cbs program at CBS: "Ukrainians have made plans to ensure that the government is somehow continuous, and I'm not going to talk about or discuss any details," the Global Times quoted Russia Today TV reported. ”
Blinken, U.S. President Joe Biden, and many nato and Western leaders recently sent similar messages of support to Zelenskiy and announced the provision of weapons and humanitarian assistance. However, the United States and its allies in Europe have explicitly ruled out direct military intervention and have refused to establish a "no-fly zone," despite Zelenskiy's repeated requests. The Russian side said the move would be seen as an act of war.
Russian media pointed out that despite the continuous receipt of Western weapons by the Ukrainian army, the progress of the Russian army in Ukraine has caused speculation that Zelenskiy may have fled Kiev, but he himself posted a video on Instagram on March 4 that was allegedly filmed in the Kiev office, saying that "no one has fled anywhere."
According to a weekend report by several U.S. media outlets, Western officials discussed support for a possible "Zelensky government-in-exile." Plans under discussion reportedly include Zelenskiy continuing to administer Ukraine in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv or other European countries.
According to the CCTV news client, on the 7th local time, the Russian government has approved the list of unfriendly countries and regions, including the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Japan, South Korea and so on.
Third round of negotiations
The Ukrainian side confirmed on the 5th that the third round of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations will be held on March 7. It is reported that this round of negotiations will still be held in Belarus.
According to the Russian news agency, on the 6th local time, Alahamia, a member of the Ukrainian negotiating delegation and chairman of the parliamentary group of the Ukrainian People's Public Servant Party, said that both Ukraine and Russia are satisfied with listening to each other's positions and actively discussing. At present, the only issue on which the two sides cannot reach an agreement is the question of Crimea and the recognition of the independence of Luhansk and Donetsk.
Arahamiya also said that in the next 5 to 10 years, NATO is not prepared to discuss the issue of Ukraine's joining NATO. So Ukraine will no longer commit to submitting an application to join NATO, but will discuss some kind of "non-NATO model."
Impacting the Chinese economy?
Lian Weiliang, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, said on the 7th that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict will bring greater uncertainty to the development of the world economy, China's economy is resilient, full of potential, and large space, although the external environment for China's economic development is more complex and severe, but the long-term fundamentals of China's economy will not change, and maintaining economic operation in a reasonable range still has a good foundation and conditions.
Lian Weiliang said that in the joint construction of the "Belt and Road", Russia and Ukraine are both countries that jointly build the "Belt and Road", and China will continue to work with the countries including Russia and Ukraine to promote the high-quality development of the "Belt and Road" in the spirit of peaceful cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit. We look forward to the peaceful settlement of the issue by all parties concerned through dialogue and efforts to minimize the impact and impact on the world economy.
"No comparison" with the Taiwan issue
At 3 p.m. today, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi was asked: "In recent months, military operations around the Taiwan Strait have increased significantly, and the situation in the Taiwan Strait has been tense for a time. Many worry about whether Chinese mainland will act against Taiwan, as Russia did with Ukraine, to reclaim territory by force. May I ask, what do China think are the similarities and differences between the two? How do you view the possibility of conflict in the Taiwan Strait? ”
In this regard, Wang Yi said: The Taiwan issue is fundamentally different from the Ukrainian issue, and there is no comparison between the two. The most fundamental difference is that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, the Taiwan issue is entirely China's internal affair, and the Ukrainian issue is a dispute between Russia and Ukraine. We have seen that some people emphasize the principle of sovereignty on the Ukrainian issue, but on the Taiwan issue they are constantly undermining China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The situation in the Taiwan Strait is facing tension, where are the root causes? The facts are very clear, and it lies in the fact that the DPP authorities refuse to agree with the one-China principle, attempt to change the status quo in which both sides of the strait belong to one China, and distort Taiwan's history and sever Taiwan's roots by vigorously engaging in "two Chinas" and "one China, one Taiwan." In the end, Taiwan's future will certainly be buried. However, in order to curb China's rejuvenation, some US forces have connived at and instigated the development of "Taiwan independence" forces, challenged and hollowed out the one-China principle, seriously violated the basic norms governing international relations, and seriously undermined peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, which will not only push Taiwan into a dangerous situation, but will also bring unbearable consequences to the US side.
Wang Yi stressed: The hope for Taiwan's future lies in the peaceful development of cross-strait relations and in the realization of national reunification, rather than relying on some external "empty cheque." There is no way out of "relying on foreign countries to seek independence," "using Taiwan to control China" is doomed to failure, and Taiwan will eventually return to the embrace of the motherland.
"Sino-Russian relations are not provoked"
When talking about Sino-Russian relations, Wang Yi said that China and Russia are both permanent members of the UN Security Council and are each other's most important close neighbors and strategic partners. As one of the most critical bilateral relations in the world, our cooperation not only brings benefits and well-being to the two peoples, but also contributes to world peace, stability and development.
I would like to stress that Sino-Russian relations have the value of independence and self-determination, and are based on non-alignment, non-confrontation and non-targeting of third parties, let alone interference and provocation by third parties. This is not only a summary of historical experience, but also an innovation in international relations.
The development of Sino-Russian relations has a clear historical logic and a strong endogenous driving force, the friendship between the two peoples is as solid as a rock, and the prospects for cooperation between the two sides are very broad. No matter how sinister the international situation is, China and Russia will maintain their strategic determination and continuously push forward the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in the new era.
Sources丨Global Times, China News Network, People's Daily client, CCTV News, etc
Image source丨 Xinhua News Agency, Observer Network video screenshot, CCTV news video screenshot, etc
Editor 丨Sun Rui