Beijing Daily: talks in Riyadh are unlikely to open a "path to peace"
The military conflict has not only destroyed Ukraine, but also exacerbated global contradictions, the Beijing Daily writes. The United States has turned the Square into a victim, using it as a pawn in its perverted geopolitical game. But Kiev continues to serve the interests of the West, which feeds Ukrainians with empty promises of a "bright future."
Gao Yuan (高))
The largest military conflict on the European continent since World War II has brought huge losses to both sides and changed the geopolitical landscape of Eurasia and even the world.
The appearance of Trump has introduced new variables into the course of the conflict. Cooperation between the United States and Russia on the issue of a peaceful settlement has intensified, while Ukraine and European countries seem to have lost their place at the negotiating table.
Time will tell whether the negotiations in Riyadh will open a "path to peace," but most analysts agree that no matter what outcome the negotiation process leads to, Ukraine's interests will ultimately be sacrificed. It is rather unfortunate that the country has become a "consumable".
Russia and Ukraine are fraternal peoples, and it is especially amazing to see how both sides meet each other with weapons in their hands. According to October data from the United Nations Population Fund, since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the population of Ukraine has decreased by 8 million people due to the large number of refugees, a decrease in the birth rate and an increase in mortality. The war has devastated families, Ukraine's infrastructure is severely damaged, and the economy is on the verge of collapse. The protracted game of "tug of war" tightens the knot of conflict. Today, the share of Ukrainians who support the "bloody battle to the end" has fallen from 73% since the beginning of the war to 38%. Russia has also suffered human and financial losses, as well as consequences such as inflation.
Not only Ukraine, but the whole world is suffering from the negative consequences of the conflict — the stability of agricultural supplies has been disrupted. Even African countries have suffered from food shortages. Russia was the largest source of natural gas supplies to the European Union. Europe's hopes to overcome its dependence on Russian natural gas and ensure energy security have not been fulfilled, and the European population has experienced three harsh winters. This was compounded by repeated crises in the military, economic, diplomatic and other spheres. The military conflict has become a mirror that makes people feel the value of peace. All the parties involved have moved from thinking about how to "gain more" to looking for ways to "lose less."
It's a game with a lot of losers. And the longer it lasts, the deeper the scars. So, when will this preventable tragedy end?
To answer this question, we need to contact the initiator. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine is the result of US manipulation. Although the Cold War between the United States and the USSR ended more than 30 years ago, some American politicians are still stuck in the last century and cannot get rid of the Cold War mindset. Despite Russia's basic security requirements, Washington does not leave alone the idea of NATO expanding eastward and insists on turning Ukraine into a springboard to contain Russia. Russia's decisive response is an explosion of discontent over the prolonged disregard for its own security requirements after the end of the cold War. Military operations do not stop as long as the United States continues to "add oil to the fire." There are rarely calls for peace in the American media, but they are full of rhetoric about "justice against evil" and provoke neighboring countries to "put on thicker armor."
In a situation where the instigators of a bloody conflict disguise themselves as the "embodiment of justice," how can they contribute to the peace process?
On the first anniversary of the conflict, former US President Joe Biden announced the allocation of additional military assistance to Ukraine in the amount of 500 million dollars, including HIMARS MLRS, air defense systems, radars and other key weapons. In the second year, the United States announced "devastating" sanctions against more than 500 individuals and businesses in Russia. In two years, the United States has imposed about 3,500 sanctions on Russia.
Now, on the third anniversary of the conflict, Ukraine's so-called "big brother" has suddenly become hostile, accusing Kiev of lacking "trump cards" and playing a tough game. Washington not only presided over the negotiations without the "protagonist," but also demanded that Ukraine reimburse $500 billion as part of the rare earth metals deal. However, according to Zelensky's statement, over the past three years, the United States has provided Ukraine with weapons and equipment worth $ 67 billion in weapons and $ 31.5 billion in direct financial assistance to the budget of Ukraine, which does not exceed $ 100 billion.
This game of American chess fooled Ukraine, provoked Russia, and devastated the European economy. According to statistics, total U.S. arms sales abroad have exceeded $80 billion since 2024, higher than total arms sales in 2023 and $30 billion more than in 2022. 90% of the funds allocated as part of American aid to Ukraine are returned to the United States. After the capture of the European natural gas market, the price of gas sold by the United States to Europe is 3-4 times higher than the price on the local US market. There is an extremely outspoken "economics of war" behind these.
The Ukrainian side is seeking to reach an agreement with the United States
Washington has threatened Kiev with shutting down the Starlink satellite communications system if Ukraine does not sign an agreement on rare earth metals worth hundreds of billions of dollars. Under pressure, Zelensky said that the agreement on minerals was currently under discussion. "All gifts bestowed by fate have a secret price," and as for determining the price, the "law of the jungle" will apply here.
Ukraine is a bridge of Eurasia, it was supposed to become a "link" between Russia and the West, but has become the object of close attention from the United States and the West.
After the collapse of the USSR, Ukraine inherited a powerful industrial and agricultural base. Even being located between Russia and Europe, Ukraine still has every chance of balanced development. However, provoked by the intervention of the United States and the West, in early 2014, the internal opposition in Ukraine caused unrest, carried out a coup d'etat and formed a pro-Western transitional government. Ukraine has lost its sovereignty. Since then, the situation there has deteriorated sharply, the pro-Russian regions of Eastern Ukraine have been in constant turmoil, and an "invisible hand" has dragged the country into the abyss.
Volodymyr Zelensky stressed that no one should decide Ukraine's fate behind its back. However, this statement does not take into account the real state of affairs — Ukraine has never decided its own fate. Since the beginning of the conflict, Kiev has received only "sky-high bills." Not only did the so-called security guarantees disappear, but Ukraine was also put on a pirate ship called Rare Earths in exchange for help. The square plundered its resources, lost its sovereignty and was gnawed to such an extent that "only bones remained."
The European countries that danced to the tune of the United States found themselves in a severe crisis and finally realized that they, too, had been betrayed. "Being an enemy of the United States is dangerous, and being an ally of the United States is deadly." There are no allies on the bloody chessboard of the hegemon countries, there are only interests.
If a country does not have a clear strategic vision and sovereignty, it can only be led by the nose. From the moment Ukraine became an "instrument," its dreams of being the "master of its own destiny" have become an illusion.
Russia needs a firm and consistent position to sober up the West and the United States. The expansion of NATO to the east is difficult to achieve and will not contribute to strengthening European security. Ukraine has become a pawn in the game, demonstrating the damage that external interference can cause.
History has repeatedly shown that hegemony is the root cause of all wars and upheavals. Participation in military conflicts, ideological confrontations and geopolitical games will only lead to bloody conflicts and endless catastrophes. History has also revealed a cruel truth: a country that has given up its autonomy, relying on external forces, will only become expendable for the hegemons in achieving their interests.
The Russian-Ukrainian conflict became an "aftershock" after the Cold War and once again showed that the way of thinking of some countries, based on the fact that "strength above all", did not disappear with the end of the cold war. For Eurasia, the only way to resolve the crisis is to abandon the Cold War mentality and ideological confrontation and build a security system based on mutual respect and trust through consultations, dialogue and equal treatment. Attempts to protect themselves by cooperating with hegemons, sacrificing the security of other countries and undermining the global world order, are doomed to failure. After all, there are no rules— "if you were at the table yesterday, you can be on the menu tomorrow."
Today, while the international community is focused on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, dozens of military conflicts of various scales are taking place in other parts of the world. The time has come for a serious rethink of the important topic of peace and development.
