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By John Feng and Shane Croucher
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China said it is open to playing a "constructive role" in resolving the Ukraine war after Russia suggested Beijing could be one of the guarantors of Ukrainian security under a peace deal — a proposal Kyiv rejected.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov suggested that permanent UN Security Council members, which include China, could underpin a security guarantee for Ukraine under a settlement that ends Moscow's invasion.
But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ruled that out, blaming China for not helping to stop the Russian invasion in 2022, and for subsequently aiding Moscow.
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Mao Ning, spokeswoman for the Chinese foreign ministry, was asked for her response to Lavrov and Zelensky at a press briefing on Friday, August 22.
"China has always acted openly and above board on the Ukraine crisis, adhering to an objective and fair stance, and all parties are well aware of this," Mao said, originally in Chinese, state media outlet Global Times reported.
"We believe that all sides should uphold a common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security concept, and work to promote a political resolution of the Ukraine crisis.
"China is willing to play a constructive role in this regard."
Ukraine's European allies are formulating plans, with U.S. support, for how to guarantee the country's future security and deter Russian aggression. One option under discussion is a collective defense agreement, similar to NATO's Article 5.
The future of Ukrainian security and territorial control are the two central issues in the emerging peace process brokered by President Donald Trump, but Ukraine and Russia currently remain far apart on both.
Zelensky Rules Out China
In addition to not stopping the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022, Zelensky said that China "helped Russia by opening the drone market," The Kyiv Post reported.
Zelensky also said China had endorsed the 1994 Budapest Memorandum—in which post-Soviet Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in exchange for assurances about its security—but did not act when Russia occupied Crimea in 2014.
China was not a signatory to the Budapest Memorandum, but had recognized it in a government statement at the time.
Zelensky said Kyiv needs security guarantees from states that are willing to help in practice, and which have supported it during Russia's ongoing invasion, according to The Kyiv Post.
Lavrov's 'Road to Nowhere'
Lavrov had earlier told reporters that Russia was in favor of a 2022 proposal to develop security guarantees for Ukraine involving all permanent members of the UN Security Council.
He said that discussing security guarantees without Russia's participation is "a road to nowhere."
The Russian Foreign Ministry also said that Moscow could not accept troops from NATO states on the ground in Ukraine under a security guarantee. This is one of the proposals under discussion by the "coalition of the willing," a group of Kyiv's European allies.
Update 8/22/25, 6:24 a.m. ET: This article was updated with more information.
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