BEIJING – China’s foreign minister on Thursday urged Kyiv and Moscow to restart peace talks “as soon as possible”, saying Beijing fears the conflict “could escalate and get out of control”.

Beijing “hopes that all parties will keep calm, exercise restraint, resume peace talks as soon as possible, and return to the track of political settlement”, Foreign Minister Qin Gang told his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in a phone call.

He said “China hopes that Ukraine and Russia retain hope for dialogue and negotiation”.

Mr Kuleba, for his part, said he and Mr Qin discussed the “significance of the principle of territorial integrity”.

“I underscored the importance of (Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s) peace formula for ending the aggression and restoring just peace in Ukraine,” he wrote on Twitter.

China, which has refrained from condemning Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, has urged both sides to agree to a gradual de-escalation leading to a comprehensive ceasefire in its 12-point paper on the “political resolution of the Ukraine crisis”.

The plan, which received a lukewarm welcome on both sides, called for the protection of civilians and respect for each other’s sovereignty.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit Russian Vladimir Putin as soon as next week and hold a virtual meeting with Mr Zelensky.

Analysts say it will be hard for China to get Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table, but some pointed out that Mr Xi could act as a “back channel” for starting momentum towards talks. AFP, REUTERS