Brazil, China Launch Initiative on Ukraine, as the “Swiss Summit” Bites the Dust

Following “in-depth” discussions in Beijing on May 23 between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and the Chief Adviser to the President of Brazil, Celso Amorim, the two countries put on the table a six-point proposal on the principles and steps required to promote peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, and called on other nations to endorse it as well. Viewed together with subsequent statements about the proposal, it becomes clear that this is a major initiative by two members of the BRICS group to mobilize the Global South into joining the effort to prevent this conflict from triggering a global, possibly nuclear war.

The proposal, titled “Common Understandings Between China and Brazil on Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis”, starts by calling on “all relevant parties to observe three principles for de-escalating the situation, namely no expansion of the battlefield, no escalation of fighting and no provocation by any party”. Secondly, that “dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis….” And for that: “China and Brazil support an international peace conference held at a proper time that is recognized by both Russia and Ukraine, with equal participation of all parties as well as fair discussion of all peace plans [emphasis added].”

The statement lays out further conditions for fostering peace, but it is their final, sixth point which addresses the need for a change in the global paradigm of relations between nations. In their words: “Dividing the world into isolated political or economic groups should be opposed. The two sides call for efforts to enhance international cooperation on energy, currency, finance, trade, food security and the security of critical infrastructure, including oil and gas pipelines, undersea optical cables, electricity and energy facilities, and fiber-optic networks, so as to protect the stability of global industrial and supply chains.”

Apparently, Brazil and China see this initiative as a viable alternative to the fake “peace summit” hosted by Switzerland that Volodymyr Zelenskyy will convene on June 15-16 – to which Russia was excluded from the start. Although the Ukrainian President has invited some 160 heads of state and government to attend, less than 70 have confirmed their participation, most of them from Europe. Among those declining the invitation are Chinese President Xi (whom Zelenskyy called a “tool in the hands of Putin” for his decision), as well as Brazilian President Lula da Silva and his South African counterpart Ramaphosa, which makes four out of five of the original BRICS member states. The fifth, India, has reportedly just downgraded its presence from Prime Minister Modi to a token diplomat. The Saudi King and the Pakistani President will not attend, and it seems that Turkey and Egypt will follow suit. As for President Biden, he made known that it’s more important for him to attend a Democratic Party fund-raiser on that day, so he’s sending the superfluous Vice President Kamala Harris instead.