China ready to keep close contact with Russia on Ukraine

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Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, Li Zhanshu, said on Friday that Beijing is prepared to maintain close contact with Russia on resolving the Ukrainian conflict.

"We have seen that progress had been made in the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, but disagreements have yet to be completely resolved... We are ready to remain in close contact on the issue with our Russian colleagues," Li said in a virtual meeting with Valentina Matvienko, the Russian Upper House Speaker.

He added that in order to resolve the crisis in Ukraine, it is important to abide by the UN Charter's fundamental principles and norms.

"Given the legitimate security concerns of all countries, including those involved, it is important to resolve all disputes peacefully, through a dialogue and negotiations," he added, noting that "China is always committed to advancing the negotiation process on the Ukrainian crisis on the basis of justice."

China to EU: We will pursue peace in Ukraine

China assured the European Union earlier this month that it would seek peace in Ukraine.

Premier Li Keqiang told EU leaders that Beijing would push for peace in its "own way," while President Xi Jinping expressed hope that the EU would treat China "independently," referring to Europe's close ties with the US.

During the virtual summit with Li and Xi, the EU warned Beijing not to allow Moscow to avoid imposed Western sanctions.

During a news briefing with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen after the first EU-China summit since Dec. 30, 2020, European Council President Charles Michel said that "we called on China to help end the war in Ukraine. China cannot turn a blind eye to Russia's violation of international law." 

"Any attempts to circumvent sanctions or provide aid to Russia would prolong the war," he added.

According to state broadcaster CCTV, Li told EU leaders that China has always sought peace and promoted negotiations and that it is willing to continue to play a constructive role with the international community.

The Russia-Ukraine war background

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a special military operation to demilitarize and de-Nazify Ukraine, responding to calls from the people's republics of Donetsk and Lugansk for help in countering the aggression of Ukrainian forces, which has been ongoing since 2014.

The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger.

A couple of days before launching the operation, Putin had recognized the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics after weeks of escalating shelling, mortar, sniper, and sabotage attacks by Ukrainian armed forces and ultra-nationalist and neo-Nazi groups in the Donbass region.

Russia had for months been warning of the threat posed against it by NATO's attempts to expand eastward, which happened simultaneously with an increase in NATO military activity along Russia's borders, and batches of lethal weapons being sent to Ukraine, prompting Russia to request security guarantees from the West. Washington failed to provide the guarantees.