China has told the United States it wants to keep all countries involved in the crisis in Ukraine calm and avoid escalating tensions, while Washington has called for de-escalation and warned of security and economic risks in the event of Russian aggression, Reuters reports.

The agency cited messages from a telephone conversation between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken late Wednesday.

“We call on all countries to remain calm and refrain from actions that would escalate tensions and crises,” Wang told Blinken, according to a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

“Secretary Blinken pointed out that de-escalation and diplomacy are the responsible way forward,” the State Department said in a statement. It notes that global security and economic risks in the event of Russian aggression against Ukraine were also among the topics discussed.

Wang, who was apparently refereeing to Russia's objections to NATO enlargement in Eastern Europe, told Blinken that one country's security should not be at the expense of others. And that regional security cannot be guaranteed by strengthening or expanding military blocs.

“Russia's rational security concerns must be taken seriously and resolved,” Wang said in a statement, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

China's number one diplomat stressed that a return to the second Minsk agreement is needed to resolve the Ukrainian issue.

“The new Minsk agreement, which was approved by the UN Security Council, is a fundamental political document recognized by all parties and must be effectively implemented. If efforts are made in accordance with the direction and spirit of the agreement, China will support them,” Wang said.

The crisis in Ukraine in 2014 involved an armed conflict between pro-Western government forces in Kiev and pro-Russian separatists in the east. A series of agreements called the First Minsk Agreement and the Second Russian Agreement ended the fighting. There are many accusations from all sides that they are not being implemented.

/BNR

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