President,

I thank Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo and Acting Assistant Secretary-General Indrika Ratwatte for their briefings.

The present development of the Ukraine situation is a cause for concern. The parties conduct frequent military attacks with higher intensity, greater scale and larger scope than before, resulting in significant civilian casualties and infrastructure damage. China condemns any attacks against innocent civilians and calls on relevant parties to cease attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure. In light of the recent developments and the briefings we have just heard, I would like to make three points.

First, it's necessary to exercise restraint and make every effort to de-escalate the situation. Recently,the parties have been caught up in a vicious circle of military confrontation and retaliation, which not only inflicts profound sufferings on civilians, but also further fuels hatred and intensifies conflicts, making the path to peace negotiation even more arduous and difficult. The parties should remain calm and exercise restraint, strictly abide by international humanitarian law, and make every effort to de-escalate, thereby creating conditions for an earlier ceasefire and an end to hostilities.

Second, it's necessary to remain patient and strive to resume dialogue and negotiations. Recently, the major parties continued to state their positions on peace talks. Although differences remain significant, they all support a political solution to the crisis and hope for early peace. This is a hard-to-find consensus. The parties should remain patient, actively demonstrate political will, resume dialogue and negotiations at the earliest opportunity, and strive to reach a comprehensive, lasting, and binding peace agreement.

Third, it's necessary to remain rational and address each other's security concerns. No negotiation is smooth sailing, and no conflict is resolved overnight. This is particularly true for the Ukraine issue. As parties have their own respective security concerns, they should find the greatest common denominator that accommodates each other's security concerns, eliminate the root causes of the conflict in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter, promote the establishment of a balanced, effective, and sustainable regional security architecture, and achieve long-term stability and peace in the region.

President,

China has consistently upheld an objective and impartial stance on the Ukraine issue. Guided by the four shoulds proposed by President Xi Jinping, we are committed to a political solution of the crisis, actively maintaining communication and engagement with all parties, and persisting in our efforts to promote peace talks in our own way. China would like to continue working with the international community and play a constructive role in advancing an early political solution to the crisis. 

Thank you, President.