Chinese Foreign Minister Calls for Halt to Violence in Ukraine

(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 U.K., France and the European Union, according to a readout from the official Xinhua News Agency.