Take Russia’s concerns on Ukraine seriously: China

dpa Beijing All parties to the Ukraine conflict should take Russia’s concerns seriously, China has warned as it called for restraint. “Russia’s legitimate ...

dpaBeijingAll parties to the Ukraine conflict should take Russia’s concerns seriously, China has warned as it called for restraint.“Russia’s legitimate security concerns should be taken seriously and resolved,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.Wang said parties should “remain calm” and refrain from fuelling tensions and speculation, in order to de-escalate the crisis, the ministry said in its Thursday statement.One country’s security must not be compromised at the expense of another’s, Wang warned, while adding that regional security could not be guaranteed by strengthening or expanding military blocs.“In the 21st century, all parties should completely abandon the Cold War mentality and form a balanced, effective and sustainable European security mechanism through negotiations,” the Chinese statement said.Wang called for a return to the Minsk Agreement to solve the Ukraine crisis and said Beijing would support any efforts “in line with the direction and spirit of this agreement.” The deal was reached in 2014, five months after fighting broke out between government soldiers and Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. It was the first ceasefire in the long-running conflict, but the peace plan has stalled.For his part, Blinken underscored during his phone call with Wang “the global security and economic risks posed by further Russian aggression against Ukraine.” The top US diplomat also said that de-escalation and diplomacy were the responsible way forward, his spokesperson, Ned Price, said in Washington.