China has indicated its readiness to send troops to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping mission, but only if such a deployment is authorised by the United Nations, Welt am Sonntag reported on August 24, citing European Union diplomats.

Beijing has been seeking to position itself as a potential mediator in the conflict, while carefully limiting any military involvement to a framework sanctioned by international law. According to the diplomats, Chinese officials made clear that participation would be contingent on a UN mandate, rather than on bilateral or regional arrangements.

“China has signalled readiness to send troops to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping mission, but only under a UN mandate,” the German newspaper quoted EU diplomats as saying.

The move, if pursued, would represent Beijing’s most direct role in the conflict since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022. China has so far balanced its stance between maintaining close ties with Moscow and promoting itself as a neutral actor advocating for negotiations.

Beijing has consistently called for an end to the war. While it has backed Russia and continues to provide an economic backstop, providing Russia with a myriad of goods and dual use technology, it has shied away from throwing its full weight behind Russia. In all the UN voting to condemn Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, China has consistently abstained rather than join the handful of nations that have voted in support of Russia’s actions. Likewise, Beijing presented a 12-point peace plan on the anniversary of the start of the war, which is very similar to the terms that US President Donald Trump is proposing now.

Western governments remain cautious over Beijing’s intentions, noting that China has deepened trade and energy cooperation with Russia while opposing sanctions imposed by the EU and the United States. At the same time recently Beijing’s support seems to have gone up a notch after a new Chinese-made decoy drone was found on the battlefield and most of the tech in Russia’s missiles is now of Chinese origin. A Chinese troop presence in Ukraine under UN auspices would require approval from the Security Council, where Beijing holds veto power alongside Moscow.

“China’s position is framed entirely within a UN context,” one EU diplomat told Welt am Sonntag, underscoring that no independent Chinese mission is under consideration.

The idea of peacekeepers, now downgraded to a “reassurance force”, was originally floated by French President Emmanuel Macron, but the idea was abandoned in March as unworkable. However, as talks on providing Ukraine with real security guarantees started following the Alaska summit on August 15 and then the White House summit on August 18 ahead of a mooted meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin the idea has been revived.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has adamantly and repeatedly said placing Nato-backed troops in Ukraine is unacceptable to the Kremlin and would have “unpredictable” consequences. However, the Kremlin may be open to non-Nato peacekeepers in Ukraine, especially if it was backed by a UN resolution and was made up of forces provided by its fellow BRICS partners.