"China-Brazil ’peace initiative’ unlikely to materialize after Trump returns to White House, - Ambassador Melnyk
Ukraine's Ambassador to Brazil Andrii Melnyk believes that the so-called "peace initiative" between China and Brazil has no chance of being implemented after US President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House.
The diplomat said this in an interview with Radio Liberty, Censor.NET reports.
According to Melnyk, Trump will focus on a quick resolution of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
"We have to take these words seriously. That's why now we are looking for some mediators there or recalling those we hoped for earlier and those who played a role... I don't see anyone but the new president of the United States who can really change the situation dramatically," Melnyk said.
The diplomat believes that we should not expect the American president to share the role of peacekeeper with foreign partners, especially with China or Brazil.
Melnyk said that Ukraine should concentrate all its efforts, including diplomatic ones, around the next eight weeks, before Trump's inauguration on January 20.
"That is, we have very little time - in fact, the inauguration is on January 20, less than two months away. All possible channels that are available - diplomatic, political, family, social, religious, whatever - are needed to ensure that our diplomacy works not only in Washington, but first of all in Mar-a-Lago, in Florida (where Trump's estate is located - ed.) - where the newly elected president spends most of his time - in order to really disrupt what we expect, to work out several scenarios there, how it can be. Because the worst thing would be that some decisions would be imposed on Ukraine over our heads," the ambassador said.
The diplomat believes that "the next eight weeks will be the most crucial and difficult in the history of Ukraine after 1991."
"I mean, we have to decide now. When the day of the inauguration comes, I'm afraid the decision will have been made by then, and then it will be more difficult for us," Melnyk added.
China and Brazil's peace proposal
On May 23, the governments of Brazil and China signed an agreement to resolve the war between Russia and Ukraine, advocating political negotiations to achieve peace. The countries also asked for the support of the international community.
In their plan, China and Brazil proposed not expanding the area of hostilities, preventing escalation, and "not escalating the situation by any party."
The document states that both countries support an international peace conference "held in due course, recognized by both Russia and Ukraine, with equal participation of all parties, and an honest discussion of all peace plans."
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized the proposal to resolve Russia's war against Ukraine put forward by China and Brazil. The head of state called this "peace plan" destructive and agreed with the Kremlin in advance.
