China's foreign minister urges peace talks amid Russia-Ukraine war

By Oliver Towfigh Nia

BERLIN (AA) - China’s foreign minister on Saturday called for peace talks ahead of the first anniversary of the war between Russia and Ukraine.

“On the Ukraine issue, China’s position boils down to supporting talks for peace. We are staying firm on the side of peace and dialogue,” Wang Yi said at the Munich Security Conference.

“We cannot abandon efforts to seek peace. We are approaching the one-year anniversary. China will put forth a position paper on the political settlement of the Ukraine issue,” he added.

Wang stressed he was “deeply concerned by the expanded and extended crisis” in Ukraine.

He called on Ukraine’s European allies to help stop the war, saying this “warfare must not continue.”

“We need to think calmly, especially our friends in Europe about what efforts should be made to stop the warfare. What framework should there be to bring lasting peace to Europe,” Wang said.

The European Union has repeatedly urged Beijing to use all its powers to persuade Russia to end the war while ensuring Ukraine's independence.

This year's focus of the Munich Security Conference is on the war between Russia and Ukraine. However, the Russian government was deliberately not invited to this high-profile security event.