UNITED NATIONS - Members of the Group of Friends for Peace welcomed recent developments in the Ukraine conflict as an opportunity to advance momentum toward peace, a Chinese envoy said on Thursday.

Recent developments suggest that the conflict in Ukraine "might be approaching a turning point, with the focus shifting from the battlefield to the negotiating table," Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, told a press conference following a meeting of the Group of Friends for Peace.

"We welcome this potential shift and see it as an opportunity to generate new momentum toward ending the conflict," he said on behalf of the group members. "This could mark a critical step toward peace and pave the way for meaningful and sustainable progress."

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Fu urged all parties and stakeholders to seize this opportunity and engage constructively in peace talks.

"The shared goal must be to find a just and lasting solution -- one that addresses mutual concerns of the parties to the conflict and leads to a peace agreement negotiated directly by and acceptable to them," he stressed. "We believe that the UN can play a role in fostering such diplomatic efforts and in the implementation of any peace agreement."

The envoy also said that the group members "are worried about the risks and crises arising from this conflict which has caused repercussions on many countries, including those in the Global South."

"Issues such as food and energy security, as well as humanitarian assistance, should be integral to the peace process, and the voices of the Global South should be heard and heeded in supporting peace in the region," he added.

Highlighting that only a negotiated political solution, including inclusive diplomacy and political means based on the UN Charter, can bring this conflict to an end, Fu said that the group members "stand ready to contribute to a peaceful resolution to the conflict and a better future for all."

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China, Brazil and other Global South nations formed the Group of Friends for Peace last year to uphold the UN Charter, foster consensus for a political resolution to the crisis and advance the prospects of peace.