BEIJING: China hopes the war in Ukraine can stop as soon as possible, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday, describing for the first time the situation in Ukraine as a “war”.

“We hope to see fighting and the war stop as soon as possible,” state broadcaster CCTV cited Wang as saying in a video conference call with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian.

China pushes ‘direct’ Russia-Ukraine negotiations as war rages

Wang called on all sides to calm down and to take more actions to prevent escalation in Ukraine, CCTV reported.

China has refrained from calling Russia’s attack on Ukraine an “invasion” or to condemn it.