China
welcomes all efforts aimed at achieving peace, Chinese Foreign Ministry
spokesman Lin Jian said on Monday, commenting on Russia's proposal to
resume direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul.
"We
welcome all efforts aimed at achieving peace and hope that all
interested parties will continue to engage in dialogue and negotiations
with the aim of concluding a fair, lasting, binding and acceptable to
all parties peace agreement, which will ultimately lead to a political
settlement of the Ukrainian crisis," Lin told reporters.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday night that Russia was ready to resume direct unconditional talks
with Ukraine in Istanbul starting May 15, three years after Kiev broke
them off in 2022.
Putin said Russia wanted to hold serious talks with
Ukraine to eliminate the root causes of the conflict in order to arrive
at an enduring and lasting peace in the long run.
