Stoltenberg urges NATO states to back Ukraine’s peace plan, not China’s

Outgoing NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on NATO countries to fully support Ukraine’s peace plan rather than backing the new Chinese “Friends of Peace” initiative, which Türkiye recently endorsed.

Stoltenberg urges NATO to back Ukraine’s peace plan

In an interview with POLITICO on Monday, Stoltenberg emphasized the importance of supporting Ukraine’s efforts. “We should support the Ukrainian initiative,” he said. “The Ukrainian peace initiative is an initiative that ensures that we have a process that can lead to a lasting peace. And of course, it has to be the Ukrainians that, at the end of the day, decide what are acceptable conditions. They are the victim of a full-scale invasion.”

His remarks were in response to Türkiye’s decision to join the “Friends of Peace” initiative, a diplomatic effort spearheaded by China and Brazil. The initiative has attracted 17 countries, with Türkiye being the only NATO member involved.

China-Brazil ‘Friends of Peace’ initiative

Launched last week by China and Brazil, the “Friends of Peace” initiative seeks to facilitate dialogue between conflicting parties without aligning with any particular side. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi described the initiative as “not about choosing sides in the conflict, not about bloc confrontation, and not about replacing existing platforms.”

Despite this, Ukraine has expressed dissatisfaction with China’s involvement. In May, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Beijing of attempting to undermine a peace summit held in Switzerland, which Russia and China boycotted.

Switzerland’s shift in view

Switzerland, which has played a mediating role in international conflicts, has shown growing interest in the Sino-Brazilian initiative after China’s plan was updated in May to include a reference to the U.N. Charter.

Nicolas Bideau, spokesperson for the Swiss Foreign Affairs Ministry, noted the shift: “A concrete diplomatic effort organized by the Sino-Brazilian group could be of interest to us,” he said, signaling a potential change in Switzerland’s position.