Ukrainian servicemen load a 152 mm shell into a Msta-B howitzer to fire towards Russian positions, near the frontline town of Bakhmut on March 2, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. AFP.
Beijing: China has warned that Ukraine war will “get out of control” if a peace process does not start soon. The statement by Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang comes around the same time when Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Tuesday said the capture Bakhmut was key to launching further offensive in the neighbouring country.
Addressing his annual press conference in Beijing today, Qin said the fighting between Russia and Ukraine has reached a “critical juncture”.
“There will either be cessation of hostilities, restoration of peace and a move towards political settlement, or fuel will be added to the fire, the crisis will expand, and the situation will get out of control,” the Chinese Foreign Minister warned.
Time for dialogue
The Chinese diplomat said now is the time for “calmness, sanity and dialogue” and stressed upon the need for talks between the two countries “as soon as possible”.
“The legitimate security concerns of all parties should be respected during the negotiations, as this is the only way to achieve long-term peace and stability in Europe,” Qin said.
‘US driving Ukraine conflict’
Qin also said the Ukraine crisis seemed to be driven by an “invisible hand” pushing for the protraction and escalation of the Ukraine war.
“There is an ‘invisible hand’ pushing the conflict towards escalation and trying to use the Ukrainian crisis to serve a certain geopolitical agenda,” the Chinese Foreign Minister said.
Kremlin later said the United States was driving the Ukraine war, adding that Qin was joking when he said an “invisible hand” was to be blamed.
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“Here we can probably disagree with our Chinese comrades. This is of course a joke. You know what the joke is: this is not an invisible hand, this is the hand of the United States of America, this is the hand of Washington,” Dimitry Peskov said.
It can be recalled that Moscow has persistently saying that the conflict in Ukraine is a “proxy war” waged against Russia by the US and its NATO allies, which provide Kyiv with weapons, funds and intelligence.
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