Xi Jinping Urges 'maximum Restraint' In Ukraine

President Xi Jinping called on Tuesday for “maximum restraint” in Ukraine and said China is “pained to see the flames of war reignited in Europe,” state media reported.

In his strongest statement to date on the conflict, Xi – speaking at a virtual meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz – said the three countries should jointly support peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

According to reports by the state broadcaster CCTV, Xi described the situation in Ukraine as “worrying” and said the priority should be preventing it from escalating or “spinning out of control”.

He also said France and Germany should make efforts to reduce negative impacts from the crisis, and expressed concern about the impact of sanctions on the stability of global finance, energy supplies, transportation and supply chains.

Beijing has stopped short of condemning Russia's actions in Ukraine or calling them an “invasion”, and has repeatedly expressed its opposition to what it describes as illegal sanctions on Russia. (Reuters)