Conflicts & War

Ukraine asks China to play ‘important role’ in brokering ceasefire: Beijing

Beijing, Apr 5 (EFE).- Ukraine’s foreign minister has asked his Chinese counterpart that Beijing continue to play an important role in achieving a ceasefire with Russia, according to state media on Tuesday.

Dmytro Kuleba spoke with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on the telephone on Monday night.

During their conversation, Wang told Kuleba that China hopes talks between Russia and Ukraine will continue until a ceasefire agreement is reached.

The call took place just three days after the European Union urged China to abandon its “equidistance” with respect to the war in Ukraine and use its influence over Russia to end it.

The only thing that China wants is peace in Ukraine, Wang assured Kuleba, Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua reported.

In turn, Kuleba told Wang that Ukraine wishes to maintain communication with China and hopes it will continue to play an important role in achieving a ceasefire.

Describing China as a great country that plays “a key and active role in safeguarding peace,” Xinhua reported, Kuleba also expressed appreciation for the humanitarian assistance provided by the Asian country.

He also reiterated Kyiv’s desire for a lasting solution through dialog with Russia.

Meanwhile, Wang stressed China’s position of promoting dialogue and peace talks.

China does not seek geopolitical interests, nor will it watch the event from a safe distance while sitting idle, or add fuel to the fire, he said.

He called for dialogue between Russia and Ukraine to continue until a ceasefire and peace are achieved, no matter what differences the sides have.

According to Wang, the conflict will eventually end and the important thing will be to preserve sustainable security in Europe, which he said will require a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture built through dialog on an equal footing, Xinhua said.

China is willing to continue to play a constructive role “in its own way” based on its “objective and impartial” stance, the report added.

Wang also appreciated the efforts of the Ukrainian government in the evacuation of Chinese citizens and hoped that it would continue to take measures to ensure the safety of Chinese nationals remaining in the country.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, China has maintained an ambiguous position calling for the territorial integrity of all countries to be respected and has avoided using the word “invasion” to refer to the Russian offensive, while reiterating its opposition to sanctions against Moscow.

During a visit to China last week for a special meeting on Afghanistan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Wang and both made it clear that neither war nor sanctions will change the “strategic partnership” between their countries. EFE

lcl/pd/tw

Related Articles

Back to top button