China maintains independent, objective stance on Ukraine

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According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian, China will continue to be objective and independent regarding the crisis in Ukraine.

In a briefing, the Spokesperson considered that China always took "an objective and impartial position on the Ukraine issue, developed its own independent opinion based on the essence of the problem."

He also reiterated his country's insistence on playing a "constructive role in promoting peace and negotiations."

Lijian detailed that China supports the forthcoming meeting of Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers in Turkey.

He expressed that all diplomatic efforts are welcomed by China, "including the trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia, and Ukraine."

The foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine have arrived in Turkey for talks set for Thursday morning, officials said. This marks the first high-level contact between the two sides since Moscow's special military operation in Ukraine.

Officials from Kiev and Moscow have met in Belarus on several occasions, but the meeting in Antalya, Turkey, is the first time Russia dispatches a minister to resolve the crisis.

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba had landed in Antalya for talks on Russia ending its operation in Ukraine, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko tweeted on Wednesday evening. 

His Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov has also arrived for the talks, a Turkish official told AFP.

Dialogue between Kiev and Moscow has so far provided several local ceasefires and humanitarian corridors to evacuate residents, however, Ukraine has earlier rejected some of the corridors proposed by Russia. 

Moreover, three rounds of talks took place in Belarus between the two to discuss political, humanitarian, and military issues during the talks.