China distances itself from Russia, calls for halt to violence

Ukrainian service members are seen at the site of a fighting with Russian raiding group in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv in the morning of on Saturday, February 26, 2022, according to Ukrainian service personnel at the scene.- AFP

BEIJING, Feb 26 (Bloomberg): China attempted to distance itself from Russia as the scale of the invasion becomes clear, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday saying it was "absolutely imperative” for all sides to exercise restraint to prevent the conflict from "getting out of control.”

"China has been following the evolution of the Ukraine issue, and the present situation is something China does not want to see,” Wang Yi said in phone calls with top diplomats from the UK., France and the European Union, according to a readout from the official Xinhua News Agency.