China extremely concerned over civilian casualties

March 02, 2022 11:52

China is deeply grieved to see the outbreak of conflict between Ukraine and Russia and "extremely concerned" over the damage done to civilians, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has told his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba.

China also called on Kyiv and Moscow to resolve the raging crisis through negotiations.

The two ministers spoke for the first time on the phone on Tuesday since violence broke out in Ukraine following an attack from Russia.

Wang said that the situation in Ukraine has changed rapidly and that China laments the outbreak of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia and is "extremely concerned" with the harm to civilians, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Wang, however, was careful not to blame Russia, whose President Vladimir Putin has launched special military operation against Ukraine.

"China is deeply grieved to see the conflict between Ukraine and Russia and highly concerned about the damage done to civilians," the press release said.

China is a close ally of Russia and is walking a fine line by airing its concerns but not condemning Moscow's military offensive.

On Tuesday, outlining China's stand, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a media briefing that Moscow's "legitimate security demands" ought to be taken seriously and properly addressed for a political settlement to resolve the Ukrainian crisis.

Refusing to criticise Russia's military action, which has entered a decisive phase with thousands of Russian troops massed on the outskirts of Ukraine's capital Kyiv, Wang Wenbin called for a political settlement that accommodates both sides' legitimate security concerns, achieves common security in Europe and promotes Europe's lasting peace and stability.

"The Cold War mentality should be discarded completely. The legitimate security concerns of all countries should be respected. Given NATO's five consecutive rounds of eastward expansion, Russia's legitimate security demands ought to be taken seriously and properly addressed," Wang Wenbin said.

China is also in the process of evacuating over 6,000 of its students and nationals from Ukraine as the Russian offensive intensified. -- PTI

Image: A charred military vehicle near the town of Bucha in the Kyiv region. REUTERS/Maksim Levin.

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