Countries clinging to Cold War mentality are prolonging the conflict in Ukraine: China Daily editorial

On Saturday, thousands of people took to the streets in central Berlin to protest against the German government's decision to supply more weapons to Ukraine and to urge it to de-escalate the crisis by paving the way for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia instead. Similar protests also took place in other German and European cities over the weekend.

The protests are a clear indication of the fact that more and more people in Europe now realize that it is the continent that is bearing the brunt of the war, and that their governments' actions are fueling the conflict rather than helping to bring an end to the year-long fighting.

The continuous supply of evermore advanced weapons to Ukraine by Western countries have not only escalated the hostilities but also protracted the conflict. With no end to the fighting in sight, instead of making the European countries more secure the supply of weapons only makes Europe's security prospects more precarious.

To put out a fire, one doesn't keep stoking it with firewood. The European countries should stop blindly following the United States' lead, as it cares not a whit for their interests. They should ignore Washington's Cold War scaremongering and look at the situation calmly and objectively. The only way to put an end to the Ukraine crisis is by means of a sustainable political settlement.

In this regard, China's position paper on the Ukraine crisis, released on Friday, offers a launch pad for efforts to secure a cease-fire, promote peace talks and ultimately establish an effective security framework for the Eurasian continent.

It calls for the sovereignty of all countries to be respected, the Cold War mentality to be abandoned, the cessation of hostilities, the resumption of peace talks, the resolving of the humanitarian crisis and the protecting of civilians and prisoners of war, keeping nuclear power plants safe, reducing strategic risks, facilitating grain exports, stopping unilateral sanctions, keeping industrial and supply chains stable, and promoting post-conflict reconstruction.

As the document states, there is no simple solution to a complex issue. All parties should support Russia and Ukraine resuming direct dialogue as quickly as possible, to de-escalate the situation and ultimately reach a comprehensive peace agreement that can be the basis for building a consensus on a balanced European security architecture that can ensure common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security on the Eurasian continent.

China's position paper shows that in stark contrast to some Western countries' actions to either fuel the fire of the conflict or take advantage of it, China is shouldering its international responsibility by standing firmly on the side of dialogue for peace.

Unfortunately, the end of the Cold War more than three decades ago did not see the end of zero-sum thinking and prejudices based on ideology. Yet as the Ukraine conflict shows, clinging to the Cold War mentality and stoking bloc confrontation only leads to antagonism and confrontation. The European countries should free themselves from Washington's malign influence and let the Cold War lie in the past where it belongs. They should uphold the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter so that peace and stability define the times.