Chinese envoy urges ‘favourable atmosphere’ for Ukraine peace after UN resolution vote

UN ambassador calls on Europe to address ‘root causes of crisis’ as China and Russia support US-backed measure, Britain and France abstain

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Fu Cong, China’s ambassador to the United Nations, votes in the UN Security Council on Monday at the UN headquarters in New York. Photo: AP

Published: 6:01pm, 25 Feb 2025Updated: 6:45pm, 25 Feb 2025

China’s top envoy to the UN has called on the world to create a “favourable atmosphere” for a political settlement of the Ukraine war, after voting for a US-proposed UN Security Council peace resolution.

Speaking after the vote on Monday, Chinese ambassador to the United Nations Fu Cong said the Ukraine issue was at a critical point for a negotiated settlement. He added that China expected the international community to “create a favourable atmosphere for promoting a political solution to the crisis”.

“We expect the United Nations and the Security Council to play a constructive role in forging consensus for peace among member states, and we expect the actions of the council to further the call for peace by promoting peace talks,” Fu said.

Fu reaffirmed that China supported all efforts dedicated to peace and the consensus reached by the United States and Russia. He added that Beijing was in favour of all stakeholders taking part in the peace talks “at an appropriate time”.

“As the fighting is taking place on European soil, Europe ought to play its part for peace, to jointly address the root causes of the crisis, and to find a balanced, effective, and sustainable security framework to achieve long-term security and stability in Europe,” Fu said.

The envoy’s comments followed the historic passage of a US-initiated resolution calling for an end to the Ukraine war. China, Russia, and the US – three of the five permanent members of the Security Council – voted in favour of it, while Britain and France abstained.

The resolution urged a swift end to the conflict and the establishment of lasting peace. However, it refrained from directly condemning Russia, referring to the Ukraine war as the “Russia-Ukraine conflict” instead. This wording represented a stark shift from previous American-backed resolutions under former US president Joe Biden.