President,

I thank Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari and Director Gemma Connell for their briefings.

Recently, the situation surrounding the Ukraine issue has continued to escalate. The two parties to the conflict have continued to carry out large-scale attacks against each other, causing heavy casualties and extensive damage to facilities. Various new types of drones and unmanned surface vessels continue to emerge, with growing lethality and destructive capacity, pushing the situation in an increasingly dangerous direction. The spillover effects of the crisis are becoming increasingly severe and continue to impact global energy and food security. The Ukraine crisis must not be allowed to continue escalating and spiral out of control. The parties concerned and the international community should work together to seek a political solution. I would like to make three points.

First, we must remain firmly committed to pursuing peace. There are no winners in war, and conflict offers no future. Peace must be given a chance. The urgent priority is to de-escalate the situation, prevent the conflict from spilling over beyond the battlefield, and avoid an escalation of hostilities. The parties to the conflict should strictly abide by international humanitarian law, refrain under all circumstances from attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure, and avoid causing harm to third-country civilians and civilian assets, so as to create conditions for a political settlement of the crisis and preserve the prospects for an early realization of peace.

Second, we must remain firmly committed to advancing peace talks. History has shown that no matter how intense a conflict may be or how deep the differences may run, problems can ultimately be resolved only through dialogue and negotiation. Recently, the parties concerned have engaged in some interactions and contacts, but significant differences in their positions remain. We hope the parties concerned will maintain engagement, demonstrate political will, continue to build consensus, and work together toward a comprehensive, lasting, and binding peace agreement.

Third, we must remain firmly committed to choosing reconciliation. Miscalculations should not escalate, and hatred should not accumulate. Peaceful and amicable coexistence between Russia and Ukraine is the only realistic choice and is also the common expectation of the international community. We hope the parties to the conflict will proceed from the fundamental and long-term interests of their respective peoples, respect each other’s legitimate security concerns, address the root causes of the crisis on the basis of full, complete, and comprehensive adherence to the principles of the UN Charter, promote a balanced, effective, and sustainable regional security architecture, and truly achieve universal and common security.

President,

On the Ukraine issue, China has consistently maintained that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter should be fully observed, the legitimate security concerns of all countries should be taken seriously, and all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis should be supported. China will continue to take the Four Shoulds put forward by President Xi Jinping as its fundamental guidance and work with the international community to make unremitting efforts to usher in the dawn of peace at an early date and achieve a political settlement of the crisis as soon as possible.

Thank you, President.