China could organize a peace conference with the participation of Russia and Ukraine, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, as reported by the RIA news agency on Thursday.
Lavrov noted that this initiative would be a continuation of Beijing’s efforts to address the Ukrainian crisis.
“We share (China’s) position that the root causes of the conflict need to be addressed in the first place and legal interests of all parties need to be protected, with subsequent agreements based on the principle of equal and indivisible security,” Lavrov said in an interview with the agency.
“Let me underscore again, this entails respecting realities on the ground, which reflect the will of people living there.”
Russia has consistently called for negotiations under the condition that Kyiv and the West acknowledge its territorial gains in Ukraine, a proposal that Kyiv has repeatedly rejected.
Lavrov criticized the United States for its support of Ukraine, accusing Washington of becoming “an accomplice in the crimes of the Kyiv regime.”
He specifically mentioned Russia’s view of the planned supplies of nuclear-capable F-16 fighters to Ukraine as a “signal action” by NATO.
“They are trying to tell us that the United States and NATO would stop at nothing in Ukraine,” Lavrov said.
“Nevertheless, we hope that the Russian-Belarusian drills on the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons that are under way now will knock some sense into our opponents by reminding them about the catastrophic consequences of further nuclear escalation.”
In the Middle East, Lavrov also accused the United States of “fanning the flames of conflict.”