“We welcome China’s willingness to play a constructive role in resolving the crisis” in Ukraine, Putin said in an article written for a Chinese newspaper and published by the Kremlin, on the eve of a visit to Ukraine. Russia of Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
He said he was “grateful” to China for its “balanced” position with regard to “events in Ukraine”, for its “understanding of their prehistory and their real reasons”.
“Russia is open to a settlement of the Ukrainian crisis by politico-diplomatic means,” assured the Russian leader.
However, he insisted on kyiv’s recognition of “new geopolitical realities”, namely the annexation last fall of four Ukrainian regions, as well as that of Crimea in 2014.
“Unfortunately, ultimatums to Russia testify that (their authors, editor’s note) are far from these realities and have no interest in seeking a solution,” he said.
