China voices understanding of Russia's security concerns

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China understands Russia's security concerns amid the situation with Ukraine, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday.

In a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, Wang Yi said China had always respected "the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries". However, China also understands that there is a certain degree of complexity around the Ukraine situation and that Russia has legitimate concerns about security issues, Wang added.

China's permanent representative to the United Nations (UN) Zhang Jun, called on Thursday all sides in the Ukraine crisis to exercise restraint, reiterating China's position on the matter, which is safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations.

"China has been paying attention to the evolving situation in Ukraine. China's position on safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states has been consistent. The purposes and principles of the UN Charter should be jointly upheld." 

However, the position does not overrule the complexity of the situation, which the Chinese envoy acknowledged. "We note that the issue of Ukraine is rooted in a complex web of historical and present factors. An interplay of those factors has driven the situation to this point," he said.

Russia, Pakistan discuss cooperation

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Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan discussed cooperation between their countries, as well as regional issues, during a meeting in Moscow.

"The leaders of the two countries are discussing the main issues of bilateral cooperation. An exchange of views is taking place on topical regional topics, including the situation in South Asia," the Kremlin said in a statement.

The Pakistani foreign office had said before the visit that "during the summit meeting, the two leaders would review the entire array of bilateral relations including energy cooperation."

The office added that Khan and Putin would also tackle issues like the situation in Afghanistan. Reuters reported that the visit was planned before the current crisis in Ukraine.

In an interview published on Monday, Khan minimized the importance of the visit's timing and any effect it would have on Pakistan's relations with the West.

"This visit was planned well before the emergence of the current phase of Ukrainian crisis ... I received the invitation from President Putin much earlier," he told Newsweek Pakistan.