China Not Interested in World War III, Favors Peace in Ukraine — Foreign Ministry

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman, the armed conflict in Ukraine should not be allowed to become protracted

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin EPA-EFE/WU HONG

BEIJING, April 26. /TASS/. The Chinese authorities are not seeking World War III and are in favor of resolving the conflict in Ukraine through diplomacy, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday.

"No one wants to see World War III, <...> it is necessary to support the process of promoting peace talks [between Russia and Ukraine]," he said at a briefing, responding to a Western journalist's question about how the Chinese foreign ministry assesses Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's recent words about the threat of World War III.

According to Wang Wenbin, the armed conflict in Ukraine should not be allowed to become protracted. He pointed to the need to prevent negative consequences that could result in the Ukrainian conflict affecting not only Europe but the entire world.

"We hope that all parties concerned will show equanimity and prevent escalation," the Foreign Ministry spokesman concluded.

Pentagon chief says he does not believe in possibility of nuclear war over Ukraine

In Lloyd Austin words, all members of the international community are doing their utmost to prevent this scenario, but Ukraine has the right to defend itself, and the West will continue supporting it

NEW YORK, April 27. /TASS/. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a Fox News interview that he does not believe in the possibility of a nuclear conflict over the situation around Ukraine.

When asked whether he believed that the conflict in Ukraine may evolve into a nuclear one, he said: "I do not."

In his words, all members of the international community are doing their utmost to prevent this scenario, but Ukraine has the right to defend itself, and the West will continue supporting it.

Commenting on Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks on the possibility of a nuclear war, Austin described them as "unhelpful."

"We've said over and over again that a nuclear war cannot be won by either side. And so I think saber rattling and rhetoric like that is just unhelpful," he said.

In his opinion, it is "hard to say" what motivated Lavrov to make comments like that, "but again, I think that kind of talk should be avoided."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with the Bolshaya Igra (The Great Game) program on Channel One TV channel on Monday that in January, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council made a statement on the inadmissibility of a nuclear war.

"This is our principled position, we are guided by this, and of course I would not want to see these risks artificially inflated now, when the risks are rather significant," the foreign minister said stressing that there are many who want to do this. "The danger is serious, it is real, it should not be underestimated," Lavrov said.