但北京与莫斯科的密切关系，已经让西方对中国作为调解人的潜在角色产生了深深的怀疑。
自俄罗斯入侵乌克兰以来，习近平声称中国保持中立，但与普京进行了五次通话——包括两次当面通话——尽管两国之间存在多年的战略伙伴关系，但都没有拿起电话给泽伦斯基。
中国还继续与俄罗斯军队一起进行军事演习，其国防部长本月早些时候访问了莫斯科，并称赞两国之间“日益巩固”的信任。
中国在入侵一周年之际发布的冲突措辞含糊的“政治解决”——周三由习近平向泽连斯基提出——在西方和基辅被广泛认为对俄罗斯比对俄罗斯有利得多 乌克兰。 它要求停火，但没有规定莫斯科首先从乌克兰领土撤军。
But another set of optics, Beijing’s close rapport with Moscow, has already embedded a deep skepticism in the West over China’s potential role as mediator.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Xi has claimed China’s neutrality, but has spoken with Putin five times – including twice in person – without picking up the phone to call Zelensky, despite a years-long strategic-level partnership between their countries.
China has also continued to carry out military exercises alongside Russian forces, with its defense minister visiting Moscow earlier this month and hailing “increasingly consolidated” trust between the two countries.
A vaguely-worded “political settlement” to the conflict released by China on the one-year anniversary of the invasion – and raised by Xi to Zelensky on Wednesday – has been widely viewed in the West and Kyiv as being far more favorable to Russia than Ukraine. It calls for a ceasefire but includes no provision that Moscow first withdraw its troops from Ukrainian land.