China is concerned about the escalation of the war in Ukraine and wants Moscow and Kyiv to resume peace talks “as soon as possible,” China’s new foreign minister Qin Gang told his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleby in a phone call on Thursday. conversation, according to Reuters, AFP and Agerpres.

“China is afraid of the aggravation of the crisis and its getting out of control. He hopes that all parties will remain calm, maintain rationality, exercise restraint and resume peace talks as soon as possible and return to the path of political settlement,” Gang Kulebi said, according to a press release from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

China hopes that Ukraine and Russia will not close the door to a political solution, China’s foreign minister said, according to the same statement cited by Reuters.

This is the first telephone conversation between the foreign ministers of China and Ukraine after Qin Gang took over as foreign minister at the end of December.

China is trying to impose itself as a mediator, but its proximity to Moscow disqualifies it in the eyes of several Western countries

Beijing, which has refrained from condemning Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, has urged both sides to agree to a gradual de-escalation leading to a full ceasefire, as outlined in a 12-point document on a “political solution to the Ukrainian crisis”. “.

This plan, welcomed by both sides, provides for the protection of civilians and mutual respect for sovereignty.

In this text, published at the end of February, China opposes any resort to nuclear weapons and calls for respect for the territorial integrity of all countries – this also includes Ukraine, which has part of the territory under Russian control, AFP notes.

This Chinese document was received cautiously by the West, since China, officially neutral, has never publicly condemned Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

Chinese diplomacy is trying to impose itself as a mediator in this conflict. However, his position as a close partner of Moscow disqualifies him in the eyes of several Western countries.

On Thursday, Qin Gang reaffirmed his support for China’s 12-point document, while confirming that Beijing “so far maintains an objective and fair position on the Ukrainian issue.”

“China will continue to play a constructive role in achieving a ceasefire and hostilities to mitigate the crisis and ensure a return to peace,” he stressed.

“We hope that Ukraine and Russia, despite the difficulties and challenges they will face, will not close the door to a political settlement,” insisted the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China.

Next week, Xi Jinping is going to Moscow and will meet with Vladimir Putin. But he will also talk to Zelensky later

Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit Moscow next week for a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, and then hold a virtual meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi.

According to analysts, it will be difficult for China to get Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table, but some of them point out that President Xi could act as a “back channel” to push the parties to the talks.

China, which was recently accused by the US of considering supplying arms to Russia, strongly denied it had any such intentions, according to media reports.

For his part, the head of Ukrainian diplomacy noted on Thursday that he discussed with his counterpart in Russia’s ally China the issue of respecting the principle of territorial integrity, while Beijing insists on the resumption of peace talks.

“We discussed the importance of the principle of territorial integrity,” Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter after this phone conversation with Qin Gang.

So far, Beijing has refrained from condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but has repeatedly emphasized the importance of respecting the borders of sovereign states, AFP notes.

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