China’s interests and U.S. restraint fuel prolonged war, German expert warns

Stopping Russia’s leader Putin and forcing him to end the war could be done by China and the United States, but the former is not interested in doing so, while the latter does not want to act decisively.

Military expert, historian, and University of Potsdam professor Sönke Neitzel said this in a comment to Ukrinform.

“I think there's something that can make Putin stop the war – it's the attitude of China,” the historian is convinced.

So, if China decides that the war must end for economic or other reasons, it could “force it upon” Moscow because Russia is economically dependent on China. But the war, in the professor’s opinion, is in China’s interest.

“Not the big global war, but this kind of, you know, endless war, you know, the economic slowdown of Europeans, domestic unrest, endless debates. It's very much in the interest of China,” the professor explained.

The second point concerns the United States. If the U.S. were to say that it has clear ‘red flags’: if you continue air attacks, we will use long-range weapons, and so on. They at least have the means — economic and military — to bring the war to an end.

“Putin has a good or rather better relationship to Trump than to some European leaders,” the expert noted. He does not see readiness on the part of the United States to be fully engaged, to the extent of supplying weapons.

The historian draws a bleak conclusion from all this: the war may not end in the coming years.

“And even if we have an armistice for a moment, the conflict is not resolved because the aim is obviously not the Donbas. The aim is the destruction of Ukraine. And I, as a historian, say, well, the Ottoman Empire and Russia have fought wars for three hundred years. Wars can go on. So, it is naive to think: ‘Alright, a ceasefire, and then peace.’ It's very unlikely that we go back to something pre-2014,” Neitzel said.

The historian has in recent months warned that a direct military confrontation between Russia and NATO could occur within the next three years.

As reported, in recent days diplomatic efforts to achieve peace in Ukraine have intensified significantly. After the emergence of the U.S. “peace plan” of 28 points, active consultations are taking place in various formats, with partners coordinating positions and adjusting Washington’s proposal.