President Sauli Niinistö and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have underlined the significance of ensuring that the conflict in Ukraine does not jeopardise stability in Europe. The two heads of state discussed the situation on the Crimean peninsula in a private meeting in The Hague, the Netherlands, on Sunday evening – on the eve of a major nuclear safety summit.
Both Niinistö and Xi concur that the conflict cannot be allowed to escalate and that a peaceful resolution must be sought through diplomatic means.
The position of China with regard to the annexation of the Crimean peninsula by Russia has been monitored closely across the world. During the crisis, the Chinese Politburo has reduced its co-operation with Russia.
Having arrived in Hague early on Sunday, Niinistö was able to sit down with the Chinese President, who began his anticipated official European visit in the Netherlands last weekend.
In addition to nuclear safety, roughly 50 heads of state are on Monday set to discuss the conflict in Ukraine and the widening rift between the West and Russia in the course of the two-day summit.
American President Barack Obama is upon his arrival in the Netherlands on Monday expected to reiterate, on the one hand, his disapproval of the actions of Russia in Crimea and, on the other, his support for co-operation with the European Union in efforts to resolve the conflict.
The summit itself will begin in The Hague, the administrative capital of the Netherlands, on Monday afternoon and represents the third summit organised by the Obama administration in a bid to ensure the monitoring of the transport of radioactive materials around the world.
Similarly on Monday, the leaders of advanced western industrial countries will meet in a G7 summit to mull over their response to Russia's annexation of Crimea. In addition, Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, is expected to provide an indication of whether Russia plans to continue its operation in Ukraine.
Kari Huhta – HS
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
© HELSINGIN SANOMAT
Photo: Office of the President of Finland
