China urges Ukraine, Russia to restart peace talks to end war

China’s foreign minister has urged Kiev and Moscow to restart peace talks “as soon as possible” to end the Ukraine war.

“China hopes that Ukraine and Russia retain hope for dialogue and negotiation,” Foreign Minister Qin Gang told his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in a phone call on Thursday

Beijing “hopes that all parties will keep calm, exercise restraint, resume peace talks as soon as possible, and return to the track of political settlement,” he said.

Kuleba, for his part, wrote on Twitter that he and Qin discussed the “significance of the principle of territorial integrity."

“I underscored the importance of (Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s) peace formula for ending the war and restoring just peace in Ukraine.” 

Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit Russian Vladimir Putin next week and hold a virtual meeting with Zelensky.

China has made a proposal for a political solution to the Russia-Ukraine war. The Chinese peace plan on Ukraine urges both sides to agree to a gradual de-escalation and warns against the use of nuclear weapons. The proposition, which covers 12 aspects, adheres to the principle of respecting the sovereignty of both countries and calls for the resumption of peace talks, and promotes long-term post-conflict reconstruction.

China has sought to position itself as a neutral party in the conflict and play the role of a mediator.

Russia has appreciated China's plan and is ready to achieve its goals through political and diplomatic means. Moscow says any settlement of the conflict needs to recognize Russia's control over the four Ukrainian regions annexed last year. Russia also wants Ukraine to renounce its bid to join NATO.

Meanwhile, President Zelensky of Ukraine has said his country needs to work with China since it seems there is a respect for Ukraine's territorial integrity and security issues in the Chinese perspective.

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Sweden, UK ink deal to send more arms to Ukraine

Sweden on Thursday announced a deal to sell its Archer mobile cannon system to Britain, allowing London to donate its older AS90 artillery system to Ukraine. The Swedish government said the UK would purchase 14 Archer units.

Stockholm announced earlier this year it would also be sending the Archer system directly to Ukraine. The Swedish-developed Archer system is a fully-automated howitzer mounted on an all-terrain vehicle.

Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson said, "Artillery such as the Archer, together with armored vehicles and tanks, increases Ukraine's defence capability and enables them to retake territory."

Britain said the 14 Archer systems would serve as "an interim replacement for the 32 AS90 artillery systems the UK gifted to the Armed Forces of Ukraine."

London announced it was sending the AS90 to Ukraine in January.

Sweden's government has so far pledged $1.6 billion worth of military support for Ukraine.

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