Western leaders and high-level diplomats called for peace but argued over how to achieve it at a special session of the UN Security Council on February 24, the first anniversary of the launch of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Most of the speakers underlined that peace in Ukraine must be fair and respect Ukrainian territory as tensions between Russia and Ukraine were laid bare when representatives of the two countries confronted each other over holding a minute's silence to honor the dead.
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Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on the “tragic day" that there was finally a chance to mourn the "lives and destinies broken by Russia." When he asked all in the council chamber to observe a moment of silence in memory of the victims, everyone stood.
Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzia then asked for the floor, saying: “We are getting to our feet to honor the memory of all victims of what has happened in Ukraine starting in 2014 -- all of those who perished.”
Nebenzia’s referred to Russia’s claims that the conflict with Ukraine began in 2014 after Ukraine’s Moscow-friendly president was driven from office by mass protests. Russia responded by annexing the Crimean Peninsula and by backing rebels in eastern Ukraine.
“All lives are priceless, and that is why we’re rising to honor the memory of them all,” Nebenzia said, referring to Russians, pro-Russian Ukrainians in the east, and Ukrainians elsewhere in the country.
The mood was summed up by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who said: "I have no illusions: We will not convince the Russian representative today."
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken used his speech to warn against a "temporary or unconditional cease-fire" in the war, saying that Russia will use any pause in fighting to "consolidate control over the territories illegally seized and replenish its forces for further attacks."
Blinken said any peace agreed between Russia and Ukraine must be "durable" and in line with the principles of the UN Charter.
"Any peace that legitimizes Russia's seizure of land by force will weaken the [UN] Charter and send a message to would-be aggressors everywhere that they can invade countries and get away with it," Blinken said.
Blinken did not mention China in his warning, but his comments came just hours after China called for a comprehensive cease-fire as part of a 12-point plan that largely reiterated its approach since Russia launched the invasion on February 24, 2022.
China said conflicts "benefit no one" and all involved should remain rational "and prevent the crisis from deteriorating further or even spiraling out of control."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed some elements of the Chinese cease-fire proposal but said it was not a concrete plan, while presidential adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak rejected the plan, saying it would do nothing except freeze the status quo.
"Any 'peace plan' that envisages only a 'ceasefire' and, as a result, a new dividing line and the occupation of territories is not about peace," Podolyak said on Twitter.
It is, rather, a "freezing of the war" and the "next stages of genocide," Podolyak said. Ukraine continues to insist on the withdrawal of Russian troops and calls for its internationally recognized 1991 borders to be accepted.
Zelenskiy said the proposal amounted to China revealing its "thoughts." Speaking at a news conference in Kyiv, he said China talking about Ukraine "is not bad. But the question is what follows the words. The question is in the steps and where they will lead to.”
The proposal corresponds in some ways with international law and territorial integrity, he said, adding, "Let's work with China on this point."
Zelenskiy also said he was planning to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying such a meeting would be "important for world security."
The Ukrainian president also said he was doing his best to prevent Chinese arms supplies to Russia.
The United States has accused China of considering the idea of supplying arms to Russia and has warned Beijing against such a move.