The Chinese president called on Tuesday for “the greatest restraint” in the Ukrainian conflict.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for “maximum restraint” in the Ukraine conflict and expressed “deep concern” during a call with French leaders Emmanuel Macron and German leader Olaf Scholz, Chinese television reported.
China, which maintains good relations with Moscow, has so far refused to speak of an invasion of Ukraine and has contented itself with “regret” the conflict in this country, while saying “understand” the Russian security concerns. But during a telephone interview with MM. Macron and Scholz, the strong man of Beijing assured that China was “deeply saddened to witness a new war on the European continent”, according to comments reported by public television CCTV. “We wish to call for the greatest restraint in order to avoid a large-scale humanitarian crisis,” he added, without denouncing the offensive launched on February 24 by Russian President Vladimir Putin against his neighbor.
China ‘stands ready to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine’
He told his interlocutors “to appreciate the efforts of France and Germany to act as mediators in Ukraine” and assured that Beijing was also ready to play “an active role”. “We must together support the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine,” he pleaded, while three negotiation sessions in Belarus have so far failed to end the war.
China “stands ready to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine”, he promised. Mr. Xi repeated his country’s principled opposition to international sanctions, saying that the measures taken against Moscow “will cause harm to all parties”.
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