Empires are not made for negotiations

The interests of such a powerful state cannot be ignored! World order is impossible without it.  Ukraine should be pragmatic and negotiate, but not annoy such a giant. We must redouble our diplomatic efforts to secure a partnership for peace!

Do you think this is about China? No. This is about Russia before the invasion. Even after 2014, there was a high demand for agreements with Russia in Ukrainian society. Zelenskyy won the election on the thesis that it is needed to just stop shooting, sit down, look Putin in the eyes, and come to an agreement.

"Empires are not made to negotiate. They are made to take whatever they like by force. That's what they are."

The problem with all such peacemakers is that their ideas about the willingness of totalitarian regimes to negotiate are deeply flawed. China occupied Tibet, expelled the Dalai Lama, committed genocide against the Uyghurs and a bunch of smaller peoples that we haven't even heard of, not in order to negotiate with Ukraine. Russia invested a lot of money in the second army of the world not to play tank biathlon.

Empires are not made for negotiations. They are created to take by force everything they like. This is their essence. When building diplomatic relations with totalitarian regimes, this should not be forgotten for even a moment. Hopes that greeting dictators and sycophancy will make you better friends and dictators will give you peace are futile. We already negotiated with one dictator, and Andrii Yermak kept everything under control to such an extent that we went to barbecues instead of war. But you remember how it ended.

"China is not just an ally of our enemy. It is the same Fifth Element that Putin lacked for the invasion"

China is not just an ally of our enemy. It is the same Fifth Element that Putin lacked for the invasion. Anticipating sanctions and a trade embargo, Putin needed a powerful partner who would trade with him even under sanctions. And as soon as he received guarantees from China at the Beijing Olympics, he immediately attacked Ukraine. This is China's real role and side in this war.

Together with Russia, China is the customer of chaos and disruption of the world order for the world domination of dictatorships. This is too great a goal of the Chinese to give up for the sake of the interests of some Ukraine. Don't be naive and have no illusions about it. No Ukrainian diplomacy can satisfy the demands of the Chinese. Because their request is the destruction of Ukraine and the transfer of this territory to the control of their vassal.

I know, everyone would like to believe that China is neutral and even sympathetic, but it is not so. Embrace the unpleasant truth, my friends. No matter what, we will win. But we must get rid of illusions about China. It is a matter of the physical survival of the nation.

About the author: Serhii Marchenko, labor market expert, blogger.

The editors do not always share the opinions expressed by the authors of the blogs.