BEIJING (AP) — China said Friday it would be “difficult to respond” to Russia’s request for talks over the war in Ukraine, citing deal issues that suggest Beijing’s strongly pro-Moscow stance.
“It seems difficult to meet China’s expectations in the meeting,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said.
“There is still an obvious gap between the preparations for the talks, China’s demands and the general expectations of the international community,” Mao said.
Mao did not go into details but said China had “conveyed our considerations and concerns to all parties concerned” and would continue to be in contact with them. China claims to be neutral in the conflict but is a strong supporter of Russia and recently hosted President Vladimir Putin on an official visit.
In an interview with China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency published on Wednesday, Putin praised his relationship with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, saying “President Xi Jinping has maintained a respectful, friendly and open, while at the same time maintaining a businesslike style of communication.”
“Every meeting between us is not just a conversation between old friends, but a fruitful exchange of views on the most topical issues on the bilateral and international agenda,” Putin said.
Putin praised China’s Ukraine peace plan, which has been largely ignored and does not call for the return of land seized by Moscow, saying he “applauds China’s efforts to resolve the Ukrainian crisis.”
Switzerland has proposed talks over the next few days in the hope of ending the war that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, but Moscow has not acknowledged this.
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This article has been corrected to remove a statement that Ukraine does not support the talks. Ukraine supports the talks.
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Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
