US says Ukraine ceasefire would cement Russian 'conquest'

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - A ceasefire in Ukraine would only serve to "ratify" Russia's territorial gains against its eastern European neighbor, the White House said Thursday.

The comments come after China unveiled a 12-point proposal to end the war, which calls for negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv and a nationwide ceasefire.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said that while the "much ballyhooed" proposal from Beijing to halt hostilities "sounds perfectly reasonable," it would ultimately lead to legitimizing Russia's territorial gains, and "would constitute another continued violation of the UN Charter."

"A ceasefire right now would basically ratify Russia's conquest. It would, in effect, recognize Russia's gains, and all of its attempts to conquer a neighbor's territory by force," he told reporters during a virtual briefing.

"Russia would basically be free to use that ceasefire to further entrench its positions in Ukraine, to rebuild their forces, refit them, reman them, retain them so that they can then restart attacks at a time of their choosing. And frankly it's just not a step that we believe towards a just and durable peace," he added.

Kirby said the Biden administration has "long been encouraging" Chinese President Xi Jinping to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying "it's really important for the Chinese to get the Ukrainian perspective here and not just Mr. Putin's."

He was referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

China has long claimed neutrality in Russia's war against Ukraine, but has refrained from criticizing Moscow and has repeatedly either sided with it or abstained during successive votes at the United Nations amid warning Moscow-Beijing relations.

Beijing on Feb. 24 rolled out its peace proposal to end the war in Ukraine, bucking long-standing demands from Ukraine that no ceasefire be implemented until Russia leaves all of its occupied territories.

Zelenskyy reacted lukewarmly to China's proposal, saying it is "not bad," and noting his government is in favor of some of the items put forward by Beijing.