‘China Received No Ukrainian Request On Security Gurantees’

Beijing, April 2: China has not received Ukrainian requests for becoming a guarantor of its security, Director-General of the Department of European Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Wang Lutong said on Saturday. On Tuesday, Kyiv proposed a new system of security guarantees for Ukraine.

David Arakhamia, a member of the Ukrainian delegation at the talks with Russia, said that Kyiv saw member states of the UN Security Council, along with Turkey, Germany, Canada, Italy, Poland and Israel, as guarantors of Ukraine’s security. “I am not aware of any received request,” Wang said. He added that the issue was not discussed during the Friday summit between China and the European Union. China is promoting the Ukrainian-Russian talks, but its role should not be overestimated and the conflict will not end only because Beijing wishes that, Wang Lutong said.

“We have always support a ceasefire and promoted that. On the second day of this conflict, Chinese President Xi Jinping held a phone conversation with the president of Russia, and the first round of negotiations between Russia and China took place several days later. As for the moment, five rounds have been held and we already see some progress,” he said. “Honestly speaking, I think that the Chinese role should not be overestimated because the hostilities were a decision made by sovereign nations, this was an independent decision of Russia,” the diplomat added. UNI/SPUTNIK