BEIJING – As Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing for a state visit and a massive military parade, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry issued a public plea to China, urging it to use its significant influence to pressure Putin to end the war. The request came just after the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, where the official declaration notably avoided any mention of the conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The omission, which Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry called “eloquent,” highlighted the SCO’s apparent diplomatic priorities. While the declaration mentioned other global events and conflicts, the absence of the war in Ukraine was a stark signal. The ministry stated that this “indicates the failure of Moscow’s diplomatic efforts,” even as Putin used his SCO platform to defend the invasion, placing blame on the West.
The SCO’s focus on issues beyond the conflict in Europe underscores its evolving geopolitical role. While Russia and China have used the SCO to project a counterweight to Western-led alliances, the organization’s core mandate and primary targets of influence are closer to home for Beijing. Analysts suggest that the SCO, initially formed to address security and stability in Central Asia, has increasingly become an instrument for China’s strategic ambitions in the Asia-Pacific region.
For Beijing, the key geopolitical targets include Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, and the Philippines. These are areas where China’s interests are paramount and where it seeks to project its power and influence. Mentioning a European war, particularly one that has drawn global condemnation and Western sanctions, would not only be a diplomatic inconvenience but could also distract from the SCO’s primary function as an alliance designed to exert pressure and shape the narrative in China’s immediate sphere of influence.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has consistently called on China, a close ally of Russia, to take a more active role in de-escalating the war. However, Beijing’s decision to maintain a position of non-interference while simultaneously strengthening economic and political ties with Moscow reflects a careful balancing act. As Putin remains in China for a military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the diplomatic spotlight is firmly on Beijing’s approach to global power—an approach that, for now, prioritizes its regional agenda over the crisis in Ukraine.
Ukraine Urges China To Push Russia To End War As Putin Arrives In Beijing For Talks, Parade
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