Among other things, the interview also touched on the Chinese peace initiative, about which the politician makes his position very clear. China has not put a peace plan on the table, but it has its own position - one that lacks important elements according to Asselborn.
The minister elaborated that the Chinese position does not demand Russia remove its troops, nor does it recognise that the conflict has a clear perpetrator, Russia, and a clear victim, Ukraine.
Whilst he criticises the Chinese initiative, he also raises certain positive elements, such as Beijing’s clear stance against nuclear weapons. Another topic was that of EU weapon delivery. Asselborn sees no alternative as Ukraine by no means has the same resources as Russia. Without them, Ukraine would disappear from the map, he adds. After all, the weapons are not meant for an Ukrainian attack on Russia; they are all means to defend the country - ‘yet another distinction the Chinese government does not mention’.
Only the Russian president can put a halt to the war, after which peace negotiations can begin immediately, believes the minister. However, there has been no mention of a diplomatic solution in Putin’s State of the Nation address this week. The EU, on the other hand, relied on diplomacy up until 24 February 2022 and will also continue to choose the diplomatic way to put an end to the war, he adds.
Asselborn noted there is no ground for naivety. He does not expect to convince Putin of a ceasefire via a phone call. Only when the Russian president accepts that he cannot win this war will there be negotiations.
He then reiterates that a halt to weapons delivery would mean an end to Ukrainian freedom. It would give Putin free rein to roll over the country and then put other countries in danger, for example Moldova and Georgia.
At the end of the interview, the minister announced that a tenth sanction package was in the works in Brussels, which was later confirmed.
