"We are neutral, we do not want to pick a side. This is our way to approach the crisis. This is acceptable to Russia and this, in its turn, is critical. If you want [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin to listen to different discourses, India or China are the only options for the Western countries. You cannot name them biased towards Europe or biased towards Russia," Pankaj Jha, Indian professor at the Jindal Global University, said.
In this regard, the expert expressed belief that the warm and convivial friendship between such influential world leaders as Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and their Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, would help to resolve the Ukraine crisis, in contrast to NATO's "reckless" arms supplies to Kiev that were only feeding the conflict.
Speaking about Western deliveries of military equipment, Jha also alleged that the alliance used Ukraine as "a guiena pig" for testing new weapons and techniques.
"I don't see any Western country do have the role in it [the settlement of the crisis] what so ever. They should have stay out of the conflict and let the two countries to decide on their own, maybe with a mediator," the Indian expert added.
In his comment to Sputnik, Nelson Wong, the vice chairman of the Center for RimPac and International Studies, also condemned West's attempts to intervene in the Ukraine conflict and called "unrealistic" expectations that sanctions would turn the clock back on Moscow's development or would force Russia to stop its military operation in Ukraine.
Wong also stressed the importance of Russia's engagement in the international arena and said that Beijing was eager to keep strengthening bilateral ties with Moscow with increased trade and energy partnerships and maintaining close diplomatic contacts at all levels.
"What the rest of the world, and in particular those who tend to misunderstand China, should realize by now is that, given our cultural differences, China does not believe in 'Might is Right' and does not pick sides without looking into the root causes of a conflict," the expert told Sputnik.
He said that Western countries were absolutely wrong in accusing China of supporting Russia after Beijing released its 12-point document titled "China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis" that promoted, among other things, respect of the sovereignty of all countries, the cessation of hostilities and the resumption of peace talks between Moscow and Kiev.
Wong noted that whilst the document did not offer any "concrete solutions" as some might have expected, it was in fact a clear message and timely reminder to the rest of the world that China supported respect for core concerns of all states and the countries' sovereignty.
In addition, the expert stressed that the only correct way to stop the Ukraine conflict, as well as any other conflict in the world, was through peaceful negotiations. That is why China, as a big country and an important member of the UN Security Council, felt necessary to appeal once again to the parties of the conflict with a call for peace, while maintaining neutrality unlike Western countries, Wong added.
"This declaration by China is believed to be a timely statement particularly in light of the fact that the conflict in Ukraine is getting all the more intensified with the continued sending of arms by the US and some of its allies," Wong concluded.
Moscow launched its special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Russian and Ukrainian delegations have engaged in several rounds of peace talks since then, but the negotiations have ultimately reached an impasse. In November 2022, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Kiev was set on escalation, not peace talks. In December, the Kremlin expressed agreement with US statements that the settlement of the Ukraine crisis must be based on a fair and long-term peace, but at the same time, Moscow said it saw no prospects for the resumption of negotiations.