Colleagues, 

I thank Director Kayoko Gotoh and Director Edem Wosornu for their briefings. 

As the Ukraine crisis persists, the battlefield remains fiercely deadlocked with escalating spillover effects profoundly impacting the international landscape. This is unsustainable and requires utmost efforts to reverse. In light of the recent developments, I would like to make three points. 

First, the parties must exercise restraint and dedicate maximum efforts to civilian safety. As we speak, a new, intense round of hostilities is underway. In addition to intensified frontline exchanges, frequent attacks on each other’s civilian infrastructure have resulted in heavy casualties among innocent civilians. The increased deployment of new weaponry, such as drones and robots, has exponentially ramped up the lethality and destructiveness of the conflict, which is deeply distressing and concerning. China urges the parties to remain calm and restrained, strictly adhere to international humanitarian law, refrain from attacking civilians or civilian infrastructure, and work towards deescalation and an early ceasefire to end the hostilities. 

Second, parties must meet each other halfway and remain committed to advancing the peace talks. The door to negotiations on the Ukraine issue has been opened. Issues of such complexity defy any easy solutions, and peace talks cannot succeed overnight. The more complex the situation, the more vital it is to cling to hope with redoubled efforts. We have recently seen positive developments with both Russia and Ukraine releasing positive signals for subsequent negotiations. A three-day temporary ceasefire was reached, and they agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war. These steps are conducive to building mutual trust and dissolving doubts. China hopes the parties will maintain contact, demonstrate political will and flexibility to each other, seek common ground while managing differences through dialogue, accumulate consensus in the course of negotiations, and work toward a comprehensive, lasting, and binding peace agreement at an early date. 

Third, to achieve lasting peace, we must address both the symptoms and the root causes of the conflict. There is no such thing as “absolute security” in the world. Russia, Ukraine, and the rest of Europe are neighbors that cannot be moved away. Taking seriously one another’s security concerns and achieving peaceful coexistence is the only realistic choice. We call on the relevant parties to abandon the Cold War mentality and bloc confrontation, implement the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security, and explore the broadest common ground that accommodates one another’s concerns, thereby forging a balanced, effective, and sustainable regional security architecture. 

China’s position on the Ukraine issue is consistent and clear. President Xi Jinping solemnly stated that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter should be fully observed, the legitimate security concerns of all countries should be taken seriously, and all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis should be supported. These four shoulds serve as China’s authoritative position and fundamental guidance on the Ukraine issue. 

China hopes that this conflict will end soon, and has taken extensive work in its own way to promote peace and facilitate talks. We have maintained close communication with Russia, Ukraine, and other relevant parties, actively engaging in shuttle diplomacy and persistently creating conditions and building consensus for peace. We stand ready to work with the international community to continue playing a constructive role in promoting the political settlement of the crisis.

Thank you.