Xi, Putin stress talks as solution to Ukraine crisis

MOSCOW, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, stressed on Tuesday that the Ukraine crisis should be solved through dialogues.

Xi and Putin signed and issued at the Kremlin Joint Statement of the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation on Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Coordination for the New Era.

On the Ukraine issue, both sides believe that the purposes and principles of the UN Charter must be observed and international law must be respected.

The Russian side speaks positively of China's objective and impartial position on the Ukraine issue. The two sides oppose the practice by any country or group of countries to seek advantages in the military, political and other areas to the detriment of the legitimate security interests of other countries.

The Russian side reaffirms its commitment to the resumption of peace talks as soon as possible, which China appreciates. The Russian side welcomes China's willingness to play a positive role for the political and diplomatic settlement of the Ukraine crisis and welcomes the constructive proposals set forth in China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis.

The two sides point out that to settle the Ukraine crisis, the legitimate security concerns of all countries must be respected, bloc confrontation should be prevented and fanning the flames avoided.

The two sides also stress that responsible dialogue is the best way for appropriate solutions. To this end, the international community should provide support to the relevant constructive efforts.

China and Russia call for stopping all moves that lead to tensions and the protraction of fighting to prevent the crisis from getting worse or even out of control. They oppose any unilateral sanctions unauthorized by the UN Security Council.