Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China has been working tirelessly to promote Ukraine peace talks and called for negotiations as early as possible.

According to a statement from the Foreign Ministry on Sunday, Wang said, "China is neither the creator nor a party involved in the Ukraine crisis, but it has neither watched idly nor taken advantage of the crisis to make gains."

The statement followed talks between Wang and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany.

"I met with my Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to discuss bilateral relations, trade, and the need to restore a just and lasting peace in Ukraine," Kuleba wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Kuleba said he had discussed Ukraine's plans to hold a global peace summit which Switzerland has agreed to help stage.

Ukraine's top diplomat added that he and Wang "agreed on the need to maintain Ukraine-China contacts at all levels and continue our dialogue".

Ukraine has sought to enhance ties with Beijing and bring China onside for Kyiv's 10-point peace plan which focuses on a withdrawal of Russian troops from occupied territory, the restoration of 1991 post-Soviet borders and a framework to bring Moscow to account for its actions. (Reuters)