Tackling the Ukraine crisis should not involve war threats as leverage, but properly address reasonable security concerns of all sides through dialogue and negotiations, China said on Friday.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a daily press briefing in Beijing in response to a question about Russia's actions on Ukraine.
Speaking at the UN Security Council on Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said US intelligence showed Russia was heading for war and planned to attack Ukraine in the coming days.
In this handout photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, pays a visit to the front line in Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022. (Photo: AP)
"The credibility of US intelligence services has already been tested on issues such as Iraq and Ukraine," Wang said.
Wang stressed that the political settlement of the Ukraine issue could not be based on the release of “war smoke bombs, the threat of sanctions and pressure, and the incitement of group confrontation as a means.”
"All sides should properly address the legitimate security concerns of all parties including Russia through dialogue and negotiation on the basis of the new Minsk Agreement," he said, "and promote a comprehensive settlement of the Ukraine crisis and related issues."
(Compiled by Lin Rui and Xiao Jiabin)
