China – Chinese leader and General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin on 25 February, that China supported Russia and Ukraine to resolve the issue through negotiation.[13][14] President Putin told Paramount leader Xi that "Russia is willing to conduct high-level negotiations with Ukraine."[15] China's UN Ambassador Zhang Jun said that "We believe that all countries should solve international disputes by peaceful means in line with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter."[16] The Chinese government refused to give a "yes/no" answer to whether the Russian military operation is an invasion on the February 24 press release, confirmed its praise on France and Germany's "a lot of efforts through diplomatic mediation in order to ease the tension" and accused the United States of agitating for war.[17] On February 25, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China respects the sovereignty of all countries, including Ukraine, but that concerns from Russia about NATO's eastward expansion should also be addressed.[18]