The Chinese foreign minister has called on Kiev and Moscow to resume peace talks “as soon as possible”.
Beijing hopes “that all parties remain calm, exercise restraint, resume peace talks and return to the path of political solution,” Qin Gang said on Thursday, according to his ministry, in a phone call with his Ukrainian colleague Dmytro Kuleba.
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister said that the importance of Ukraine’s territorial integrity was discussed during the talks.
First official exchange between the two foreign ministers
It was the first official exchange between the two foreign ministers since Qin took office in December. “China is concerned that the crisis could escalate and spiral out of control,” Qin said.
Kuleba summarized the call on Twitter and explained that “the importance of the principle of territorial integrity” was also discussed. He did not give any details about it.
Western countries have criticized China for not condemning Moscow’s attack on Ukraine. Last month, Beijing denied an accusation from the US that it was planning arms sales to Russia.
Beijing published a position paper on the Russian war in Ukraine last month, in which it calls for dialogue and tries to present itself as a neutral mediator. The government has “an objective and fair position on the Ukraine issue,” Qin said.
The White House, meanwhile, spoke out in favor of talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“We think it would be a very good thing for the two to talk,” US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said when asked by a reporter about a Wall Street Journal report about an allegedly scheduled talk by Xi and Zelenskyy. (AFP)
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