MOSCOW, May 15 situation in Ukraine — this is the only plan to date that can form the basis for resolving the conflict, says the director of the Institute of Asian and African countries of Moscow State University. M.V. Lomonosov Alexey Maslov.
«I remind you that China published its plan, it's called China's 12-point initiative regarding the position on a peaceful settlement of the situation in Ukraine. … This plan turned out to be viable, because someone criticizes it, someone follows it, but , most importantly, it has become a subject for discussion,» the expert said at a press conference organized by the Rossiya Segodnya media group.
«To date, this is the only option put forward in a structural way, which can form the basis of at least some kind of settlement,» Maslov added.
The expert noted that China is ready to use a number of levers to resolve the situation, despite the «vague wording» of the initiative. According to him, Beijing is «real, not declarative» interested in this issue, since the initiative proposed to stop hostilities, and then start negotiations.
Maslov also said that against the backdrop of the conflict, a new community of countries began to form, which «understand that all the measures that are taken today against Russia can be taken against any country, including against China.» According to him, these countries may not be bound by contractual relations, but they have common motives and values.
The expert also stressed that there is opposition to China's initiatives to resolve the conflict.
«… Not all countries are interested in a peaceful settlement of the conflict. First of all, the United States is not interested at all. Since the plan, in my opinion, is very simple — this is the creation of a constantly ongoing conflict in Europe and the creation of a conflict in Asia, that is, around Taiwan. Thus, China and Russia, the main rivals of the United States, will be tied up in these conflicts for many years,» Maslov said.