President,

I thank Mr. Adedeji Ebo and Ms. Karin Kneissl for their briefings.

In the protracted crisis in Ukraine, civilians are the ones who suffer the most. The continued flow of weapons and ammunition into the battleground will only further aggravate the crisis and deepen the cruelty, danger, and unpredictability that war brings, resulting in even more innocent casualties while diminishing the hope for a peaceful end to the fighting and the creating a profound and broad negative impact to regional peace and stability.

It is therefore in the best interest of all parties to seek a political settlement by way of an early end to the fighting. At present, the focus should be on observing the three principles of no expansion of the battlefield, no escalation of fighting, and no fanning the flames by any party, so as to deescalate the situation as soon as possible. Recently, the parties to the conflict have, to varying degrees, signaled their willingness to negotiate. We expect them to continue to show political will, walk towards each other rather than away from each other, and restart peace talks as soon as possible. The international community should create conditions and provide assistance in this regard and work together for a political settlement of the crisis.

President,

The Ukraine crisis occurred against the backdrop of historical complexities and practical realities. It is, in essence, an eruption of security dynamics in Europe. China had no part in creating this crisis, nor is it a party to the conflict. China has not provided lethal weaponry to any party to the conflict, and has not and will not do anything to profit from it. China’s position on the Ukraine issue has been consistent and clear. It is to urge and promote peace through a political settlement.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is currently visiting China. Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with him and had in-depth exchanges of views on the Ukraine crisis. We note that Foreign Minister Kuleba said that Ukraine values China’s views and has carefully studied the six-point understandings proposed by China and Brazil on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, and that Ukraine is willing and ready to engage in dialogue and negotiation with Russia. China will continue to uphold an objective and impartial position, stand on the side of dialogue and peace, support the international community in forging more consensus, and work tirelessly and constructively to promote an early political settlement of the crisis.

President, 

In his statement a moment ago, the US Representative resorted to tactics of slandering and smearing China in an attempt to create a false narrative, mislead the international community, and shift the blame to China on the issue of Ukraine, which China categorically rejects.

I wish to reiterate that China is not a creator of the Ukraine crisis, much less a party to it. However, we did not sit by. On the contrary, we have all along insisted on promoting peace and negotiation and pushing for a political solution, which the international community can bear witness. And this is not something that the United States can write off simply by resorting to slandering. China has never poured oil on the fire or taken advantage of the situation, nor has it provided lethal weapons to any party to the conflict. China exercises stricter control over military and civilian dual-use items. The Chinese enterprises carry out normal economic and trade cooperation with other countries, including Russia and Ukraine, in accordance with the rules of the WTO and the rules of the market. This is totally reasonable, justified, and beyond reproach.

Thank you, President.