Russia, China Urge the West Not to Ignite Ukrainian Conflict

Through a joint statement issued on Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin urged Western countries to stop actions that further fuel the Ukrainian conflict.

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"The parties demand the end of all steps that contribute to the escalation of tension and the prolongation of hostilities in order to avoid further degradation of the crisis until its transition to an uncontrollable phase," they said.

"It seems that the West really decided to fight Russia to the last Ukrainian, no longer with words, but with deeds," Putin pointed out after denouncing the eventual shipment of depleted uranium projectiles from the United Kingdom to Ukraine.

Besides opposing all unilateral sanctions, China and Russia stressed that "responsible dialogue is the best way for a sustainable resolution of the Ukrainian crisis." They also consider that the international community "should support constructive efforts in this regard."

In this context, Russia welcomed the peace initiative put forward by China on February 24. This proposal defends, on the one hand, Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, the cessation of hostilities and the resumption of negotiations, and, on the other, it advocates taking into account Russia's security concerns in the face of the advance of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). 

"In order to resolve the Ukrainian crisis, it is necessary to respect the legitimate concerns of all countries in the field of security, avoid the formation of confrontational blocs, and stop actions that further fuel the conflict," Xi and Putin's statement pointed out.

They also insisted that NATO "strictly comply with the obligations related to its regional and defensive character" and respect other states' sovereignty, security and interests.