British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says Ukrainian forces need to gain a “decisive advantage” over Russia on the battlefield. At a virtual G7 meeting hosted by Tokyo on Friday,Sunak will renew Britain’s offer to send Typhoon jets to Poland or any other eastern European country that is prepared to hand over its fleet of MiG-29 combat aircraft to Ukraine.

“For Ukraine to win this war – and to accelerate that day – they must gain a decisive advantage on the battlefield[...] That is what it will take to shift Putin’s mindset,” Sunak will say according to meeting notes distributed in advance.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the war “must not escalate into nuclear warfare”,warned against the use of biological weapons and opposed sanctions imposed on Russia without the backing of the UN Security Council.

Russia is a permanent member of the UN Security Council giving it veto power over any sanctions by the other four members the United States,United Kingdom,China and France.

“The security of a country should not be pursued at the expense of others. The security of a region should not be achieved by strengthening or expanding military blocs,” China’s Foreign Ministry said in the position paper.

“The legitimate security interests and concerns of all countries must be taken seriously and addressed properly.”

Noah Barkin,ananalyst for the German Marshall Fund said,“no serious European policymakers” believe China’s peace proposals will yield positive change in Beijing’s approach to the conflict.

“On the contrary,when it comes to the China-Russia relationship,the risk appears greater that the coming year will bring negative surprises,” he said.

“In the first year of the Ukraine conflict,China was careful not to cross the reddest of Western red lines. Were that to change,the damage to Europe-China relations would be immense.”

The vague proposals by Beijing are part of a push to position itself as a global mediator in the conflict and a responsible military power.

The campaign,which has largely targeted developing countries to serve as partners,has been criticised by the US which has called for China to condemn Russia’s invasion and limit its diplomatic support for Moscow.

But it has won some support among China’s economic partners.

Russian state media reported on Friday that officials in Moscow were studying a proposal from Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva that suggested China,Brazil,India and Indonesia could help mediate peace talks.

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