China calls for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine

China calls for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for “maximum restraint” in Ukraine and said China is “pained to see the flames of war reignited in Europe,” state media reported, in his strongest statement to date on the conflict.

Xi, speaking at a virtual meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, said the three countries should jointly support peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Xi described the situation in Ukraine as “worrying” and said the priority should be preventing it from escalating or “spinning out of control,” CCTV cited him as saying.

He also said France and Germany should make efforts to reduce negative impacts of the crisis, and expressed concern about the impact of sanctions on the stability of global finance, energy supplies, transportation and supply chains.-Reuters