BEIJING, February 18. /TASS/. The United States needs to take the concerns that Russia and other countries have over the complicated situation in Ukraine into consideration, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a briefing on Friday.
According to him, Washington should refrain from making comments that could ratchet up the already highly strained tensions. "The US certainly should not take steps that contribute to raising confrontation," the Chinese diplomat pointed out, commenting on US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s remarks about Russia’s plans to invade Ukraine in the coming days. "The Ukraine issue needs to be resolved through dialogue and talks, given the legitimate concerns of the parties, including Russia," he added.
Wang Wenbin also emphasized the need to resolve the Ukraine crisis through the Minsk Agreements. "It’s not right to act through threats, sanctions, and pressure," he stressed.
Blinken said on Thursday that Russian troops were allegedly getting ready to attack Ukraine in the coming days. US President Joe Biden had made a similar statement earlier that day.
The West and Kiev have recently been echoing allegations about Russia’s potential invasion of Ukraine. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov castigated these claims as "empty and unfounded", serving as a ploy to escalate tensions, pointing out that Russia did not pose any threat whatsoever to anyone. However, Peskov did not rule out the possibility of provocations aimed at justifying such claims and warned that attempts to use military force to resolve the crisis in southeastern Ukraine would have serious consequences.