By Paul and Mathiasen
SANTO DOMINGO (Reuters) – Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Saturday he would push for fair peace in the war in Ukraine that included “territorial integrity” during a state visit to China next week.
Sanchez, speaking to journalists at the Ibero-American Summit meeting in the Dominican Republic, said he would discuss peace prospects with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is trying to position himself as a mediator in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
“The most important thing … is that when this peace is reached in Ukraine, it will be fair and lasting … and when we talk about fair, I mean that the territorial integrity of Ukraine, which has been violated by Putin, is respected,” Sanchez said in a news conference.
Spain, a NATO member whose foreign policy is closely aligned with the United States, is a staunch ally of Ukraine and will assume the presidency of the Council of the European Union in July.
Last month, Beijing outlined a 12-point peace plan and called for a comprehensive ceasefire. Xi recently traveled to Moscow, where he described China’s position on the conflict as “impartial”.
(Reporting by Paul Mathiasen in Santo Domingo, writing by Cassandra Garrison; Editing by Robert Birsel)