Riyaz ul Khaliq
14 February 2025•Update: 14 February 2025
ISTANBUL
China’s “rational” position on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war has been “validated,” Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said in the wake of an apparent US push for negotiations to end the conflict.
Wang made the comments during the 10th UK-China Strategic Dialogue in London on Thursday, which he co-chaired with his British counterpart David Lammy, according to a readout of the meeting released by Beijing.
The statement comes after US President Donald Trump spoke to his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts on Wednesday as the war in Ukraine completes three years this month.
Trump said he had a "lengthy and highly productive" conversation with Putin, and that their delegations agreed to "start negotiations immediately" to end the war.
Saudi Arabia is expected to host Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin for Ukraine peace talks.
China has avoided condemning Russia over its war with Ukraine but has stressed the territorial integrity of UN member nations.
Wang told Lammy that China’s “fundamental guideline” on ending the Ukraine war is based on “no spillover of the battlefield, no escalation of the war, and no fanning of the flames.”
“The development and changes in the situation have confirmed the rationality and constructiveness of China's proposition,” Wang said.
Beijing has faced criticism, while several of its firms have been sanctioned, from the US-led Western bloc over its stance on the Ukraine war, as well as its relations with Russia.
“China welcomes all efforts aimed at promoting peace talks and supports the establishment of a balanced, effective, and sustainable European security framework to ultimately achieve lasting peace and stability in Europe,” he said.
Ahead of Trump's inauguration last month, China and Brazil last year launched the "Friends of Peace" group on the Ukrainian crisis to gather the consensus of the Global South and create conditions for peace talks.
Separately, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters in Beijing that as part of a new era, a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination between China and Russia has "remained unaffected by external interference."
Guo's statement came in the wake of a phone call between Trump and Putin which was also lauded by Beijing.
