Last weekend, Russia pounded Ukrainian positions in the Kharkiv region with a bevy of cruise missiles and one-way attack drones, killing at least four people and destroying a blood transfusion center. The strikes near Ukraine’s second-largest city were part of a systematic wave of attacks involving at least 40 missiles, a sight that has become all too familiar as the war inches toward the 18-month mark.
Nearly 3,000 miles away in Saudi Arabia, delegates from Ukraine, the U.S., Europe and key members of the so-called Global South such as India, South Africa and Brazil were huddling together and talking about peace in Ukraine. Nobody in attendance was naive enough to think that a peace deal was imminent or even likely this year—as White House national security spokesman John Kirby said, the talks in Jeddah weren’t about negotiating an end to the war but rather about discussing what a hypothetical just peace for Ukraine could look like. Given the chasm-like gaps between Ukraine and Russia on what an optimal settlement should consist of, anything more would be setting oneself up for disappointment.
Judging by that very low bar, the talks in Saudi Arabia could be judged a success. More than 40 countries attended the discussions, including China, a fact that wasn’t lost on Western officials who have a habit of grasping at straws for any good news on the war. As the West tells it, China’s attendance at the talks was a significant development because it demonstrated that Beijing was perhaps growing leery of the conflict and growing increasingly agitated about how the Russians have waged it. Perhaps the “no-limits” partnership between China and Russia declared weeks before Russian missiles started flying in Ukrainian cities isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be? Perhaps Chinese President Xi Jinping is getting tired of the war to the point in which he would pressure his friend in the Kremlin to wind it down?
You can sympathize with those who may hold that view. Chinese participation in the Ukraine peace conference was indeed notable, if only because Beijing didn’t send a delegation during the first session in June. This time, China not only showed up but also actively participated and was open to a follow-up meeting in the fall. In the words of one European official, the “mere presence of China shows Russia is more and more isolated” on the world stage. For Kyiv’s supporters in the West, Beijing’s willingness to agree with the general consensus that any end-of-war settlement must respect Ukraine’s sovereignty was seen as a big step in the right direction.
Author
Events on China
