US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said during a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference that China, in his view, could stop the conflict in Ukraine «with a single phone call» if Beijing were to contact Russian President Vladimir Putin. Bloomberg reported his remarks.

Whitaker also argued that China could increase pressure on Moscow by halting purchases of Russian oil and gas.

Earlier, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, at a meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga, said it was encouraging to see active progress in various dialogues related to a settlement of the conflict, while emphasizing that China’s position remains unchanged.

In October, responding to statements by Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky that China was not helping Ukraine, Beijing stated that it supports a ceasefire and peace talks and will continue to stand on the side of peace and dialogue, promote de-escalation, and play a constructive role in advancing a political settlement. The Chinese side also asserted that it has never supplied weapons to either party to the conflict and strictly controls exports of dual-use goods.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said during his December call-in show that Moscow is ready to end the conflict through peaceful means, provided the root causes are eliminated and based on principles outlined in June 2024. Among them, he named the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the territories of the DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, Kiev’s отказ to join NATO, and the lifting of sanctions. Putin added that if Ukraine refuses dialogue, the goals set by the Russian side will be achieved by military means.