China has waded into the Russia-Ukraine war saying it will like to mediate a peace deal between the two nations in conflict on Thursday, March 16.
China’s foreign minister has urged Kyiv and Moscow to restart peace talks ‘as soon as possible,’ saying Beijing fears the conflict ‘could escalate and get out of control.’
In a statement Beijing said it ‘hopes that all parties will keep calm, exercise restraint, resume peace talks as soon as possible and return to the track of political settlement,’ Foreign Minister Qin Gang told his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, adding that ‘China hopes that Ukraine and Russia retain hope for dialogue and negotiation.’
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted that during his call with China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang earlier in the day, they discussed the ‘significance of the principle of territorial integrity’.
Beijing again mentioned the idea of the so-called peace plan it floated last month as the foreign minister urged Kyiv and Moscow to restart peace talks ‘as soon as possible’.
The White House said Thursday that talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Chinese leader Xi Jinping would be a ‘good thing,’ but warned Beijing against taking a ‘one-sided: view of the conflict.
‘We think it would be a very good thing if the two of them talk,’ National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters when asked about a Wall Street Journal report that the Ukrainian leader is set to talk with Xi for the first time since Chinese ally Russia invaded.
