Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held telephonic talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba yesterday for the first time in more than a month. Both the leaders discussed the situation in Ukraine in which Wang said that China welcomes Russia-Ukraine peace talks and "no matter how difficult and divergent they are, we must stick to the general direction of peace talks until a ceasefire is negotiated and peace is achieved". China has blamed the US and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) for the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.<br />''<br />''Wang told Kuleba that Beijing believes establishing a balanced and sustainable security mechanism is key to Europe's lasting security while Kuleba urged Beijing to play its part in "stopping the war". "On the Ukraine issue, China does not seek geopolitical self-interest, does not have the mentality of watching the fire from across the river, and will not do anything to pour oil on the fire," Wang said, according to a statement released by the Chinese foreign ministry. <br />''<br />''<span style="color: #222222;">The Chinese statement quoted Kuleba as saying that Kyiv values China's international influence, is willing to maintain communication with China, and hopes that Beijing will continue to play an important role in the ceasefire and stopping the war. After the talks, Ukraine's Foreign Minister tweeted, "We both share the conviction that ending the war against Ukraine serves common interests of peace, global food security, and international trade." </span><br />