Edge's News: China says it 'deeply regrets' Russia’s war in Ukraine

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba asked his Chinese counterpart in a phone call on Tuesday to use Beijing's ties with Moscow to stop Russia's military invasion of its neighbour, the Ukrainian foreign ministry said in a statement.



China's foreign minister spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart on Tuesday and called for a resolution to the crisis through negotiation, Chinese state media said, as Beijing treads a difficult diplomatic line on the invasion.


Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Dmytro Kuleba that Beijing 'deeply regrets that conflict has broken out between Ukraine and Russia, and is paying extreme attention to the harm suffered by civilians', state broadcaster CCTV reported, adding that Wang called for the two countries to 'find a way to resolve the issue through negotiations'. 


China has found itself walking a diplomatic tightrope after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine took many in Beijing by surprise.


According to the statement, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Kuleba that Beijing was ready to make every effort to help end the war through diplomacy.


China, which has grown closer with Moscow in recent years while it has also had cordial diplomatic ties and strong trade links with Ukraine, has refused to condemn Russia's attack on the country or to call its actions there an invasion.


The call between the two is the first to have been reported since Russia's attack on its neighbour last Thursday. It was initiated by Kuleba, according to China's foreign ministry.


Wang repeated China's call for a solution to the crisis through negotiations, saying it supported all international efforts that could help achieve a political resolution, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement.


In January, Chinese President Xi Jinping marked 30 years of ties with Ukraine, hailing the "deepening political mutual trust" between them. Ukraine is a hub in the Belt and Road Initiative, a sprawling infrastructure and diplomatic undertaking that binds China closer with Europe.


Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation" that it says is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its southern neighbour's military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Tax Reform

Could President Trump issue an executive order to abolish birthright citizenship?

President Tinubu’s NELFUND: Giving Every Student a Chance

Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has hit the ground running.....

President Tinubu’s Bold Economic Reforms: Two Years of Progress and Renewed Hope