China's top envoy to the United Nations on Monday emphasized that his nation "welcomes" the recent consensus reached on Ukraine peace negotiations by the United States and Russia and it hopes that all parties involved will participate in the process to reach a "fair" and "mutually accepted "peace agreement.
"China welcomes all efforts toward peace, including the consensus reached between the US and Russia, on initiating peace talks," Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the UN, said at a UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine. He chaired the meeting as the rotating president of the Security Council in February.
READ MORE: China welcomes US-Russia talks on Ukraine
"China hopes that all parties involved, as well as relevant stakeholders, will participate in the peace process to reach a fair, lasting, binding and mutually accepted peace agreement," he added.
Fu then emphasized that because the three-year-long conflict is taking place on European soil, "Europe has a responsibility to contribute to peace." He called on all parties to "jointly address the root causes of the crisis through negotiations and to establish a balanced, effective and sustainable security framework to ensure long-term stability in Europe".
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had said that Kyiv would not participate in the US-Russia negotiations that took place in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
Zelensky had said that his country would not accept any outcome from the talks if Kyiv doesn't take part.
Both the White House and the Kremlin released statements confirming that the two leaders had discussed the possibility of a swift cease-fire in Ukraine, without consulting the European Union or Ukraine. In response, the EU formally requested to be included in the negotiations.
Fu recalled that 10 years ago, the parties involved in the Ukraine conflict reached an agreement through negotiations — the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements, which is commonly called Minsk II.
The agreement to halt fighting between Russian separatist groups and Ukrainian armed forces in the Donbas region was unanimously endorsed by the UN Security Council through Resolution 2202.
ALSO READ: Kremlin says Putin ready to hold talks with Zelensky if necessary
"But most provisions of the agreement were never fully or effectively implemented, and instead of de-escalation, tensions intensified, leading to a full-scale crisis and larger-scale conflicts that continue to this day," Fu said.
Regarding China's stance on resolving the Ukraine crisis, Fu said that China has "consistently advocated for settling global disputes and conflicts through dialogue, consultation and political means, which applies equally to the Ukraine issue".
Fu said China has always been guided by the four points on what must be done, namely the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected; the purposes and principles of the UN Charter should be observed; the legitimate security concerns of all countries should be given due regard; and all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis should be supported.
