Nicaragua has become the first country to publicly endorse the six-point statement of principles put forward jointly by China and Brazil on May 23 as a roadmap for a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis. Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Denis Moncada advised Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on May 31 that Nicaragua supports the consensus expressed in that joint communiqué. On June 5, Nicaragua’s parliament passed a resolution also endorsing the statement and “the proposal to hold at an appropriate time an International Peace Conference, recognized by both Russia and Ukraine, with equal participation of all parties and a fair discussion of all peace plans.”
Asked today about Nicaragua’s endorsement, Chinese Foreign Ministry Press Spokesman Lin Jian reported that “101 countries from five continents and international organizations have responded positively to the Common Understandings and in different forms, among whom 52 countries and international organizations confirmed that they either endorse the common understandings or are looking at the form of endorsement.” China hopes more countries endorse the six common understandings, and continues to remain in close communication with “relevant parties in the international community,” he added.
The Chinese-Brazilian statement was also a key topic in the June 10 phone call between Presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin readout reported that “the President of Brazil expressed his willingness to contribute to identifying ways to provide a peaceful solution to the Ukraine conflict, which is set forth in the well-known Brazil and China’s joint initiative,” after he had been briefed by Putin on Russia’s policy towards President Zelenskyy’s upcoming “peace” summit in Switzerland (which excludes Russia). For its part, the official Brazilian readout stated that Lula had “reiterated the defense of peace negotiations which involve both sides of the conflict,” as outlined in the joint Chinese-Brazilian statement.
