BEIJING: China's foreign minister said Tuesday that Beijing is "deeply concerned" about the conflict in Ukraine, which is "intensifying and even getting out of control". China has sought to position itself as a neutral party on the war in Ukraine, while maintaining close ties with its strategic ally Russia.

Beijing has pledged to publish a proposal aimed at finding a "political solution" to end the war ahead of the first anniversary of Russia's invasion on February 24. The United States has accused China of mulling arms shipments to Russia, claims Beijing has denied.

"It has been nearly a year since the crisis in Ukraine escalated across the board," Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang said at a conference on global security in Beijing. "China is deeply concerned that the conflict is intensifying and even getting out of control."

Qin urged the "countries concerned to stop adding fuel to the fire as soon as possible, to stop shifting the blame to China". Beijing would "offer Chinese wisdom for the political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, and work with the international community to promote dialogue and consultation, address the concerns of all parties and seek common security," he added. And regarding the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which China considers its territory and has vowed to seize one day, Qin urged countries to "stop making an uproar by shouting 'Today Ukraine, Tomorrow Taiwan'".

"The pressures and attempts to contain China, coming from the outside, are getting stronger and stronger, they are getting worse and worse, posing a serious threat to China's sovereignty and security," he said. China's top diplomat Wang Yi told the Munich Security Conference on Saturday that with regard to the Ukraine conflict, Beijing was against attacks on nuclear power plants, opposed the use of biochemical weapons and was willing to work with all parties.

'Red line'

Wang is due in Moscow for talks on his final stop of a European tour that has seen him also visit France, Italy, Hungary and Germany. The Kremlin said on Monday that Wang may meet with President Vladimir Putin during his visit, according to the official TASS news agency.

The high-level visits follow accusations by US top diplomat Antony Blinken that China could be "considering providing lethal support" to Moscow ranging "from ammunition to the weapons themselves". The EU's foreign policy chief said he had warned Wang at a meeting over the weekend that any material support for Moscow's war would be a "red line in our relationship".

"He told me that they are not going to do it, that they don't plan to do it. But we will remain vigilant," Josep Borrell told journalists Monday ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

Meanwhile, for 12 hours a day and six days a week, a few hundred Ukrainian soldiers are cramming an intensive course on operating tanks in Germany, knowing full well they have no time to waste. "Our comrades are waiting for us," said one of the soldiers, Vitali, who gave only his first name and covered his face with a scarf to ensure his anonymity.

"They are expecting us to return to Ukraine as quickly as possible and help to defeat the enemy," he told AFP. Vitali counts among student soldiers who are learning the basics of maintenance and operation for German-made Leopard 2 tanks, as well as Marder infantry fighting vehicles.

The equipment had been recently pledged to Kyiv by Western allies, but before they arrive in Ukraine, the soldiers have to be taught to use them. The Ukrainians, some of them straight from the front, will learn to be tank commanders, drivers and gunners in the space of just a few weeks in the middle of the forest near the small town of Munster.

The violence of war could not seem further away from the military school, where Leopard 2 tanks were parked in hangars behind big white doors. Some were being hosed down by soldiers in military fatigues. But their hometown is always on the minds of the trainee Ukrainian soldiers, described as "very motivated" by their trainer lieutenant-colonel Markus D.

Most of the Ukrainians being trained have limited knowledge of tanks. Only "around 20 percent" of the pupils have any significant experience with the vehicles, said Peter, the German lieutenant in charge of the training programme.

Those who have sat behind the controls of a tank before have operated Soviet-made machines that barely resemble the high-spec Leopards and Marders. "It's the difference between driving a Mercedes and a Zhiguli", said Ukrainian soldier Anatoli, drawing a comparison between the German luxury car brand and a Soviet sedan.

The Ukrainians will race through their training in just five weeks. "Normally, it would take twice as long," said German officer Peter. In order not waste any time, the soldiers take a break only on Sunday. If the soldiers are behind "then we take Sunday too", he added. The courses being given by German staff are all translated directly into Ukrainian, making the teaching process more painstaking. - AFP