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Contradictions in European security structures lie at root of Ukraine crisis — Chinese MFA

Mao Ning noted that the current stage of the conflict could be taken as a "painful lesson that all parties should understand at a deep level and come to grips with"

BEIJING, May 25. /TASS/. The roots of the Ukrainian crisis lie in a "major outbreak of contradictions" in the management of European security, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a briefing on Thursday.

"The Ukrainian crisis is essentially a tragedy that could have been avoided," she said in response to a request by TASS to comment on remarks by Chinese Special Representative for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui that Beijing supported those European initiatives on Ukraine that are based on addressing the root causes of the crisis. "The essence of the Ukrainian crisis lies in a major outbreak of contradictions in the management of European security," she added.

The diplomat noted that the current stage of the conflict could be taken as a "painful lesson that all parties should understand at a deep level and come to grips with."

"In the Ukrainian crisis, China has always determined its stance based on the essence of the issue itself, and we have always firmly adhered to the side of peace, dialogue and historical justice; we have always been committed to the promotion of peace and negotiations," Mao emphasized.

On Wednesday, Chinese special envoy Li met with Andreas Michaelis, State Secretary of the German Federal Foreign Office, in Berlin. The Chinese envoy said that Beijing supported the intention of European countries to address the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis in order to identify a path to peace that could help to "figure out what is a high priority and what is a low priority," as well as their efforts to ensure long-term stability on the European continent.

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