China has called on Ukraine and Russia to return to the negotiating table
China has publicly called on Ukraine and Russia to resume the negotiation process and return to the peace talks.
Sun Lei, China’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, made the statement.
The Chinese diplomat emphasized that Xi Jinping’s government considers an immediate cessation of hostilities to be necessary, after which, in Beijing’s view, the parties should proceed to negotiations.
“Only after a ceasefire can negotiations resume,” Sun Lei noted.
He also called on Kyiv and Moscow to demonstrate the political will to seek a peaceful settlement, stressing that this process must begin without delay.
Separately, the diplomat mentioned the suffering of the civilian population, stating that this issue “truly concerns Beijing.”
Despite regular calls for peace, China does not officially recognize itself as a party to the conflict and declares neutrality in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
At the same time, Western governments and analysts have repeatedly stated that Beijing provides Moscow with substantial indirect support, particularly in the economic, financial, and diplomatic spheres.
According to international assessments, Russia receives dual-use goods from China that can be used for military purposes.
These include microelectronics, machine tools, optical equipment, drones and their components, as well as communications equipment, which, according to experts, is used to support the Russian military-industrial complex.
Thus, despite official statements of neutrality, China’s role in the context of the war remains a subject of debate at the international level.
This was stated by representatives of the People’s Republic of China during a meeting of the UN Security Council.
Earlier, Turkey stated that it was ready to once again facilitate negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. Ankara believes that the diplomatic process has reached an impasse and that hostilities are only intensifying, so the parties must be brought back to the negotiating table.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine and Russia must move toward substantive negotiations to end the war. He also noted that a segment of Russian society is already expressing dissatisfaction with the duration of the hostilities. According to him, Kyiv has repeatedly proposed formats for dialogue.
