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The leaders of China and Belarus have expressed their "extreme interest" in a peaceful resolution in Ukraine. Chinese President and Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russia's Vladimir Putin, issued the statement after talks in Beijing. Mr Lukashenko said his country "fully supports" a Beijing plan for ending the war in Ukraine. China  announced a plan for peace talks last week , calling for the respect of national sovereignty. The visit comes days after China sent its top diplomat  Wang Yi to meet Mr Putin . Mr Lukashenko and Mr Xi's meeting also coincided with a visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Central Asian nations to discuss the Ukraine war. On Wednesday, China and Belarus "expressed deep concern" about the conflict and "extreme interest in the soonest possible establishment of peace in Ukraine", the Belarus state-run news agency Belta reported. Mr Lukashenko has aided the Russian leader in his war in...

  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he plans to meet China's leader Xi Jinping to discuss Beijing's proposals on ending the war in Ukraine. Speaking on the first anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion, he said the proposal signalled that China was involved in the search for peace. "I really want to believe that China will not supply weapons to Russia," he said. China's plan calls for peace talks and respect for national sovereignty. However, the 12-point document does not specifically say that Russia must withdraw its troops from Ukraine, and it also condemns the usage of "unilateral sanctions", in what is seen as a veiled criticism of Ukraine's allies in the West. The Chinese authorities have so far not publicly responded to Mr Zelensky's call for a summit with Mr Xi. Meanwhile, Russia hailed the Chinese peace proposals. "We share Beijing's views," the foreign ministry in Moscow said in a statement. Earlier t...

  Russia   has amassed 2,000 tanks for its  new offensive to take the eastern region of Donbas , a Ukrainian intelligence officer has warned. It comes as  Vladimir Putin  unleashed a  new wave of missile strikes on critical infrastructure  in  Ukraine  on Friday, causing explosions in  Kyiv  and Kharviv, as well as several cities across the country. At least 17 missiles hit  Zaporizhzhia  in an hour in the heaviest attack on the southeastern city since  Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year , local officials said. Power supplies were disrupted by overnight drone and missile strikes on power stations and transmission facilities in eastern, southern and western Ukraine. “The air alert will be long,” said Maksym Marchenko, regional governor of the southern region of Odesa. “Please do not ignore the air alert sirens, and go to the shelters.” Ukrainian president  Volodymyr Zelensky , who this week pleaded with ...