‘Critical moment’: China calls for all stakeholders to be part of Ukraine peace talks

Beijing welcomed the coming peace talks on ending Russia’s war in Ukraine initiated by the United States, China’s top envoy to the United Nations said on Monday, adding that “all stakeholders” should be involved.

Ambassador Fu Cong’s remarks came as senior American and Russian officials were scheduled to meet on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia seeking to negotiate a deal without Europe to end Moscow’s invasion of its neighbour, which began nearly three years ago.

Fu said at the UN Security Council briefing on Ukraine that the issue was about to reach “a critical moment for a negotiated settlement”.

“China welcomes all efforts dedicated to peace, including the recent agreement reached by the United States and Russia to start peace talks. At the same time, China hopes all relevant parties and stakeholders involved in the Ukraine crisis will engage in the peace talks process, and reach a fair, lasting, and binding peace agreement acceptable to all parties,” he said.

Fu largely echoed Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who said at the Munich Security Conference on Friday that all stakeholders in the war should participate in any peace talks, including the European Union.