President,

I welcome Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen for presiding over today’s meeting. I thank Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo and Under-Secretary-General Tom Fletcher for their briefings.

The Ukraine issue remains unresolved, with ground fighting intensifying and the humanitarian crisis worsening. Over the past month or so, the parties to the conflict have been engaged in another round of intense fighting, resulting in heavy casualties and extensive damage to civilian facilities, including energy, food, logistics and warehousing facilities. Third-party vessels and assets have also come under attack, which is deeply distressing and concerning. Allowing the situation to further deteriorate and escalate will bring more suffering to the people, more destruction to the region, and more instability to the world. Against this backdrop, China proposes the following:

First, work together to de-escalate the situation. Conflict and confrontation cannot resolve problems. They will only further exacerbate tensions, erode mutual trust, and cause the situation to spiral out of control. China urges the parties concerned to put humanitarian and livelihood concerns first, strictly abide by international humanitarian law, avoid attacks against civilians and civilian facilities under any circumstances, prevent harm to third-party civilians and civilian assets, and work to de-escalate the situation so as to create conditions for an early ceasefire and end to the fighting.

Second, work together to launch the peace talks. Dialogue and negotiations are the only viable way to resolve the Ukraine issue. At present, dialogue and negotiations on the Ukraine issue have stalled, with major differences remaining among the main parties. China calls on all parties concerned to actively demonstrate political will, strive to start and sustain talks, gradually build consensus, and work to reach a comprehensive, lasting and binding peace agreement. The international community should play a constructive role in this regard and join forces to promote peace and dialogue.

Third, work together to seek fundamental solutions. The Ukraine issue has deep-rooted and complex causes and is essentially an eruption of Europe’s security tensions. The crisis has revealed a simple truth: the security of all countries is indivisible. China calls on all parties concerned to take a long-term view, uphold the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, respect each other’s legitimate security concerns, address the root causes of the crisis on the basis of full, complete and comprehensive adherence to the principles of the UN Charter, promote a balanced, effective and sustainable regional security architecture, and truly achieve universal and common security.

President,

China’s position on the Ukraine issue is objective, impartial and consistent. Guided by the Four Shoulds put forward by President Xi Jinping, we maintain close communication with the parties concerned and the international community, pursue our own approach to promote peace and dialogue, and support all efforts conducive to a peaceful resolution of the crisis. We stand ready to work with the international community to continue playing a constructive role in advancing a political settlement of the crisis, building greater consensus and fostering a more favorable environment.

Thank you.