President, 

I thank Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari and Assistant Secretary-General Joyce Msuya for the briefings. 

The current international situation is undergoing profound turbulence. Regional conflicts and localized wars are occurring one after another, while the calls from the international community for peace and development are growing ever stronger. The Ukraine crisis remains protracted and difficult to resolve, and its trajectory bears on the peace and stability in Europe and the world at large. An early ceasefire and political solution to the crisis are the shared aspiration of the international community. In light of the recent developments and the briefings just given, I will make three points. 

First, we must work to deescalate the situation as soon as possible. A few days ago, Russia and Ukraine agreed to a ceasefire during the Orthodox Easter holiday, taking an important step towards peace together. Regrettably, during the ceasefire, both sides accused the other of violating the ceasefire, and subsequently resumed large-scale military attacks against each other. The path to peace remains fraught with obstacles. China hopes that the parties to the conflict will prioritize peace, exercise the utmost calm and restraint, and work to deescalate the situation as soon as possible, with a view to achieving a ceasefire and ending the war at the earliest opportunity. 

Second, we must resolutely uphold the humanitarian bottom line. Recently, Russia and Ukraine carried out a new round of exchange of prisoners of war and remains of fallen soldiers, reflecting the humanitarian considerations and helping to build mutual trust. At the same time, both sides have launched attacks affecting civilians and civilian infrastructure, exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation. China expresses deep concern over this, and calls on the parties to the conflict to put the people first, strictly observe international humanitarian law, adhere to the principle of necessity, distinction, and proportionality, protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and alleviate the sufferings of civilians.

Third, efforts must be made to advance peace talks. The door to dialogue on the Ukraine issue has already been opened. Although the momentum of negotiations has slowed somewhat at present and there are significant differences in the positions of the parties, as long as we persist in talks, we will see the dawn of peace. China hopes that all relevant parties will participate in the peace process, maintain engagement and dialogue, steadily build consensus, and on the basis of fully observing the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, address the root causes of the crisis, taking into account the legitimate security concerns of all parties, and reach a comprehensive, lasting, and binding peace agreement. 

President, 

China's position on the Ukraine issue has always been consistent, and is guided by the four shoulds proposed by President Xi Jinping. We will continue to uphold an objective and impartial stance, remain committed to promoting peace talks, maintain communication with all relevant parties, and play a constructive role in advancing a political solution of the crisis. 

President, 

Just now, the US Representative, once again, repeated the same old rhetoric and spread disinformation. This is totally unacceptable. I wish to reiterate that China is neither the creator of the crisis nor a party to it. In the face of the crisis, China has not stood idly by. We have not fanned the flame or sought to profit from the situation. Instead, China has consistently worked to promote a ceasefire, to end the conflict, and to facilitate peace talks. China's objective and impartial position and its constructive role have been widely recognized by the international community. People can tell right from wrong. I also wish to point out that on the Ukraine issue, any attempt to shift the blame to China or smear China is irresponsible and is not going to succeed. 

In fact, since the outbreak of the crisis, it is the United States, not China, that has long supplied weapons to the battlefield and attempted to prolong the conflict. We once again urge the United States to stop shifting the blame and to contribute more to ceasefire and peace talks. 

Thank you.