BEIJING, September 13. /TASS/. Ukrainian authorities must explain the remark made by Ukrainian Presidential Office head’s advisor Mikhail Podolyak regarding the "weak intellectual potential" of China and India, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Mao Ning said.

"I have no knowledge of the background of this statement," she said during a briefing, answering a question from a journalist. "[Podolyak] must provide an explanation and explain himself."

The Chinese diplomat also noted that China "consistently assumes a responsible position" on the Ukrainian issue seeking its peaceful resolution by negotiations.

"This person [Podolyak] must scrupulously analyze [the situation] and develop a proper attitude," Mao Ning concluded.

Previously, Podolyak made a remark on "weak intellectual potential" of countries, such as India and China, that allegedly "fail to analyze the consequences" of their actions. In his opinion, these states "profit" from the Ukrainian conflict, just like Turkey.

Almost immediately after the statement of the Chinese side, Podolyak claimed that his words were taken out of context and misinterpreted. He blamed Russia for that, claiming that it was the Russian side who "took the words out of context, distorted their meaning."

"Of course, Turkey, India, China and other regional powers have a clear justification for their aspirations for global roles in the modern world. There are all reasons for that: historical, economic, cultural, scientific and political," he said on his X page, reiterating that the "global world is much wider" than even the most thought-through regional national interests."