Beijing Urges Calm Over Ukraine Crisis

The Foreign Ministry in Beijing on Tuesday called on all parties in the Ukraine crisis to remain calm, ease tensions and resolve differences through dialogue and negotiation.

The Xinhua News Agency reported a ministry spokesperson quoting Foreign Minister Wang Yi as saying "China is concerned about the evolving situation in Ukraine, and China's position on the Ukraine issue is consistent."

He noted that the legitimate security concerns of any country should be respected, and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter should be upheld.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman said the current situation in the Ukraine crisis is closely related to the delay in the effective implementation of the new Minsk agreement, and China will continue to make contacts with all relevant parties according to the merits of the matter itself.

President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday ordered Russia's military to act as peacekeepers in two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine, just hours after he recognised them as independent. He said the Donetsk and Luhansk areas were ancient Russian territories and described the Ukrainian government as a puppet regime controlled by foreign powers.

Wang had a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier in the day, during which they discussed the Ukraine crisis.