File photo of Sun Lei, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN. (Photo: VCG)
A Chinese envoy on Monday warned that the path to peace in Ukraine remains fraught with obstacles, and urged all parties to the conflict to prioritize peace, with a view to achieving a ceasefire and ending the war at the earliest opportunity.
In his remarks at a United Nations Security Council briefing on Ukraine, Sun Lei, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said the Ukraine crisis remains protracted and difficult to resolve, and its trajectory bears on the peace and stability in Europe and the world at large.
"An early ceasefire and political solution to the crisis are the shared aspiration of the international community," he said.
Noting that efforts must be made to advance peace talks, he said the door to dialogue on the Ukraine issue has already been opened.
"As long as we persist in talks, we will see the dawn of peace," Sun said, adding that China hopes that all relevant parties will participate in the peace process.
The ambassador stated that China's position on the Ukraine issue has always been consistent, and the country will continue to uphold an objective and impartial stance, promote peace talks, maintain communication with all relevant parties, and play a constructive role in advancing a political solution to the crisis.
Responding to what he described as "same old rhetoric" and disinformation from the US representative, Sun said, "This is totally unacceptable."
"China is neither the creator of the crisis nor a party to it," the ambassador said, adding that China has consistently worked to promote a ceasefire, end the conflict, and facilitate peace talks. China's objective and impartial position, along with its constructive role, have been widely recognized by the international community, he said.
"In fact, since the outbreak of the crisis, it is the United States, not China, that has long supplied weapons to the battlefield and attempted to prolong the conflict. We once again urge the United States to stop shifting the blame and contribute more to the ceasefire and peace talks," he concluded.