The Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs Li Hui met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko in Moscow on Friday.
The two sides exchanged views on China-Russia relations and the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.
Both sides hailed Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia in March, saying the visit further deepened political mutual trust, consolidated the political foundation and public opinion foundation of the two peoples, injecting new and strong impetus for bilateral all-round practical cooperation.
Both sides pledged to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, further strengthen bilateral and multilateral strategic coordination, as well as exchanges and cooperation in various fields, aiming to constantly continue enriching the connotation of China-Russia relations in the new era.
On the Ukraine crisis, China always follows the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, upholds an objective and fair stance and actively promotes peace talks, Li said, adding China always stands on the side of peace, dialogue and the right side of history.
On the basis of the document stating China’s position on the political settlement of Ukraine crisis, Li said China will strengthen exchanges and dialogues with all parties including Russia to make concrete efforts on the political settlement of the crisis.
The Russian side lauded China’s practical efforts to promote a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis and expressed their belief that China’s relevant principles and stance are conducive to a peaceful settlement of the crisis.
They vowed to continue to adhere to the direction of political settlement and enhance communication with China.
In a bid to engage with various parties on the Ukraine crisis, the Chinese special envoy is now on a trip to Europe that has taken him to Ukraine, Poland, France, Belgium and Germany over the past 12 days, reiterating China’s core stance on the crisis and calling for joint efforts to enhance communication for the political settlement of the crisis.
In a major development, the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) admitted on Saturday that it implemented “certain measures” linked to the explosion on the Crimean Bridge in October 2022.
“According to our legislation, international legislation and the customs and traditions of warfare, taking into account the fact that it was a logistical route that we were obliged to cut off the enemy, certain measures were taken,” Vasyl Malyuk, head of the SSU, said in a statement published on the agency’s website.
Still, it is too early to make public the details of the “special operation,” Malyuk said.
On October 8, 2022, a deadly blast hit the 19-kilometer Crimean Bridge, which consists of two parallel routes for automobiles and trains over the Kerch Strait.
A truck exploded on the road bridge, causing seven fuel tanks of a train heading to the Crimean Peninsula to catch fire. Three people were killed in the blast, which also led to the partial collapse of two spans of the road bridge.
