MOSCOW - Russia remains open to cooperation with Western countries, but will not initiate an improvement in the relations with them, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Saturday.

"Let's see how they will get out of the impasse they have driven themselves into. Their values, the principles of the free market, the inviolability of private property, and the presumption of innocence are all trampled on by themselves," he said.

According to Lavrov, the United States is sending diplomats to many countries to ask them to withdraw from cooperation with Russia.

"It looks like our American colleagues have lost the feeling of reality or are swelling with the super-superiority complex," he said.

MOSCOW -- The United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) must stop supplying weapons and sending mercenaries to Ukraine, Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of Russia's lower house of parliament, said Saturday.

"Weapons and ammunition are supplied by NATO countries. Mercenaries who fill the ranks of (Ukraine's) nationalist battalions are recruited in the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance with the consent of their leadership," Volodin posted on Telegram.

"So when (US President Joe) Biden and his NATO colleagues call for peace, they must first start with themselves. It is their fault that the settlement of the situation in Ukraine, its demilitarization and denazification are being delayed," the State Duma leader wrote.

If Western countries want peace, they should channel funds not to military supplies, but to humanitarian assistance to the Ukrainian people, he said.

House vote paves way for higher tariffs; China envoy stresses humanitarian need

The US House of Representatives passed a bill on Thursday to suspend normal trade relations with Russia, moving to further penalize the country's economy by paving the way to higher tariffs on Russian goods.

The vote came after President Joe Biden announced this month that the United States and its European allies would take new steps to isolate Russia from the global trading system.

The bill, which will next be headed to the Senate, suspends normal trade relations with Belarus in addition to Russia.

The bill's approval would allow the US to impose higher tariffs on Russian goods, and includes a ban on Russian oil and gas products and a $13.6 billion military and humanitarian aid package.

The bill came as Russian troops continued their military activities in Ukraine's western city of Lviv.

Russia launched six missiles toward Lviv on Friday, according to the Ukrainian armed forces.

The projectiles were most likely cruise missiles fired from warplanes over the Black Sea, while two of the missiles were intercepted by air defense systems, the Ukrainian forces said in a statement on Facebook.

Several missiles hit an aircraft repair plant in the city on Friday, destroying the building, said Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovy, adding that there were no casualties from the strike.

An explosion was also heard and smoke was seen in the northern part of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Friday morning. There is no official information from the Russian military about the attacks contained in Ukraine's statement.

In another development, the Russian embassy in Washington on Friday requested that the US disclose information about its military biological activity in laboratories in Ukraine.

The US spent $32 million on the projects, the embassy said.

The embassy's statement echoed the chief of Russia's radiation, chemical and biological protection force Igor Kirillov, who said in a briefing on Thursday that the Russian army has obtained documentary evidence confirming the Pentagon was financing military-biological projects in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, China's ambassador to the United Nations on Thursday reiterated that Beijing remains committed to promoting peace through negotiations and called on the UN and all concerned parties to help ease the humanitarian situation in Ukraine.

Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN, told a Security Council briefing on the refugee issue in Ukraine that China is deeply worried about the worsening humanitarian situation in Ukraine and saddened by the reported increase in civilian casualties and refugees.

"The pressing task now is to call for maximum restraint from all parties and to ensure the safety and security of all civilians, including women and children, and meet their basic humanitarian needs, so as to prevent the occurrence of a larger scale humanitarian crisis,"Zhang said.

"China supports the work by the relevant parties in maintaining communication, ensuring safe and unimpeded humanitarian corridors and further facilitating personnel evacuation and humanitarian assistance."

Zhang said that the Red Cross Society of China has provided Ukraine with three batches of humanitarian supplies, with the third one containing milk powder and quilts for children, specifically helping the Red Cross Society of Ukraine assist displaced children affected by the conflict.

Zhang noticed that in the recent past, some people of African or Middle East descent encountered difficulties during evacuations.

"This should be taken seriously and addressed properly. All refugees, regardless of color, race or religion, shall be accorded the necessary protection under international refugee law."

The ambassador stressed that the Security Council bears the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security and should therefore "play a positive role in easing the humanitarian situation in Ukraine".

The international community shares the common wish for a ceasefire at an early date to alleviate the situation on the ground and prevent civilian casualties, he said. "This is also the expectation of China,"Zhang said.

"We support the UN and the parties concerned in vigorously carrying out good offices. We also hope that all parties will do more to facilitate peace talks and not add fuel to the fire. Facts have proved that wanton use of sanctions will not solve any problem, but will instead create new problems."

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine is exacerbating the disruptions to global trade stemming from fragile supply chains.

The clash has sent high energy prices even higher, raised shipping and air freight rates, caused flights to be canceled or rerouted, shut down operations of ports and added uncertainties to the global supply chains reeling from pandemic-induced bottlenecks.

Hundreds of cargo vessels have been stranded in the Black Sea region at Ukrainian ports. At the same time, countries like the United Kingdom and Canada have banned Russian ships from docking at their ports, leaving hundreds of Russian-flagged cargo containers backed up at ports elsewhere.

Ukraine's global share of imports and exports amounts to about 0.3 percent each. Russia's export share is about 1.9 percent, and its imports amount to around 1.4 percent, according to a report by Dutch bank ING.

But port officials at the US' busiest ports in California told China Daily that the conflict hasn't impeded the movement of cargo at the San Pedro Bay port complex, which is made up of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The two ports together handle 40 percent of the country's containerized imports.

Phillip Sanfield, a spokesperson for the Port of Los Angeles, said the conflict has had a minimal impact on the port's operations.

"Trade with Russia accounts for less than two-tenths of 1 percent of cargo at the Port of Los Angeles," he said, adding: "Like the rest of the world, we are keeping a close eye on the developments."

The San Pedro Bay port complex has faced supply chain disruptions since the beginning of the pandemic due to a variety of issues, including a labor shortage, COVID-19 control measures, rising consumer demand and the slowdown of manufacturing capacity.

Sanfield said congestion at the port has improved significantly. The number of vessels en route has decreased to 44 for both the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, compared with 109 a few months ago.

Port of Long Beach spokesperson Lee Peterson told China Daily that the port doesn't see a disruption from the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Peterson notes that the port is making progress with containing the surge in cargo traffic.

"This week we are down to 43 ships waiting to get into the two ports, Long Beach and Los Angeles. That's still too many, but down from more than 100 in early January 2022."

It was not another conversation in the ongoing flurry of video diplomacy against the backdrop of rising global challenges. It was an attempt to find a way to stabilize the volatile situation in Ukraine and address other pressing global issues.

No wonder the conversation between President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden, via video link, on Friday — the first since November — drew widespread international attention. Indeed, the international community saw the talks as an opportunity for the two sides to not only address this urgent issue but also improve Sino-US relations.

That the talks between the two presidents were proposed by the US side suggests the US has realized that, without the cooperation of China, it cannot close the Pandora's box it has opened in Ukraine to fulfill its narrow goals.

But China will never allow the US to take advantage of the Ukraine crisis to smear, threaten or coerce it to do the US' bidding or succumb to US hegemony.

Beijing agreeing to the US' proposal shows China, as a major country, is fully aware of its responsibilities of promoting global peace and stability. But China will respond in kind if the US administration takes measures that threaten the rights and interests of China or its enterprises and individuals.

Xi used Friday's talks to urge the US side to persuade Ukraine and Russia to end the conflict through peaceful talks, stressing that all stakeholders should display political courage and create space for peace.

Although the two leaders agreed in November to improve bilateral ties, the US side has done far less than necessary to follow through on Biden's pledge that the US is not seeking a new Cold War, not seeking to change China's political system, not seeking to target the revitalization of its alliances against China, not supporting "Taiwan independence", and has no intention to engage in a conflict with China.

If the US really wants to work with China for the betterment of the world, the administration should abide by the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation which Xi has been reiterating since their first conversation as heads of state in February 2021.

As for the Ukraine crisis, the international community should try to defuse the situation, facilitate peace talks and restore peace.

The US on its part should stand on the right side of history and stop adding fuel to the fire and fanning the flames of confrontation.

MOSCOW/BERLIN -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday held a phone conversation with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, saying that Moscow is ready to search for solutions to the Russia-Ukraine conflict during negotiations with the Ukrainian side.

Putin criticized Kyiv for "trying to delay the negotiation process in every way possible, putting forward more unrealistic proposals," the Kremlin said.

Putin said the solutions the Russian side was searching for would be in line with its "principled approaches."

During the conversation, Scholz called for a ceasefire, improvement in the humanitarian situation, and a diplomatic solution to the conflict as soon as possible, according to a statement issued by the German government.

Putin also mentioned Russia's humanitarian work in Mariupol, and efforts carried out by Russian armed forces to save the lives of civilians by opening humanitarian corridors and evacuating people.

Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said on Thursday that it would take between a few days and a week and a half for Ukraine and Russia to reach a peace agreement.

Ukrainian and Russian delegations have held several rounds of negotiations in a bid to broker a solution to the conflict between the two countries.

China has reached consensuses with South Africa and Cambodia over the situation in Ukraine, as leaders from the three nations stressed the need to support Russia and Ukraine in solving their disputes through dialogue and negotiations.

During a phone call on Friday, President Xi Jinping and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the two nations shared very similar positions over the Ukraine issue and that sovereign nations have rights to decide on their positions independently.

The two leaders agreed to support Russia and Ukraine in keeping up the momentum of peace talks, adding that they will step up dialogue and coordination over the issue.

Xi also spoke over the phone with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Friday, and the two leaders highlighted the need to uphold a balanced and fair position and maintain proactive efforts toward peace and dialogue.

The third batch of humanitarian aid donated by the Red Cross Society of China to Ukraine arrived in the Lviv Oblast in western Ukraine on Thursday.

The consignment, including milk powder for children and quilts, has been delivered to help people displaced by recent fighting, especially children and other vulnerable groups.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict is exacerbating the crisis faced by already fragile global supply chains.

The clash has sent already high energy prices higher, raised shipping and air freight rates, caused flights to be canceled or rerouted, shut down operations of ports and added uncertainties to the global supply chains already reeling from pandemic-induced bottlenecks.

Hundreds of cargo vessels have been stranded in the Black Sea region at Ukrainian ports. At the same time, countries like the UK and Canada have banned Russian ships from docking at their ports, leaving hundreds of Russian-flagged cargo containers backed up at ports of others.

The share of Ukraine's global imports and exports amount to about 0.3 percent each. Russia's export share is about 1.9 percent, and its import share is around 1.4 percent, according to a report by the Dutch bank ING.

But port officials at the US' busiest ports in California have told China Daily that the conflict hasn't impeded movement of cargo at the San Pedro Bay port complex, which is made up of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The two ports together handle 40 percent of the country's containerized imports.

Phillip Sanfield, spokesperson for the Port of Los Angeles, said the conflict has had "minimal" impact on the port's operations.

"Trade with Russia accounts for less than two-tenths of 1 percent of cargo at the Port of Los Angeles," he said, adding, "Like the rest of the world, we are keeping a close eye on the developments."

The San Pedro Bay port complex has faced supply chain disruptions since the beginning of the pandemic due to a variety of issues, including a labor shortage, COVID-19 control measures, rising consumer demand and the slowdown of manufacturing capacity.

Sanfield said congestion at the port has improved significantly. The number of vessels en route has decreased to 44 for both the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, compared with 109 a few months ago.

Port of Long Beach spokesperson Lee Peterson also told China Daily that the port doesn't see a disruption from the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Peterson noted that the port is making progress with containing the surge of cargo traffic.

"This week we are down to 43 ships waiting to get into the two ports, Long Beach and Los Angeles. That's still too many, but down from more than 100 in early January 2022," he said.

According to the Marine Exchange of Southern California, a nonprofit that tracks ships movement in the region, there were 86 vessels at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach Wednesday, including 26 at anchor and 60 waiting for berths. Twenty-eight out of the 86 ships are container ships, with one at anchor and 27 at berths.

In November 2021, before the arrival of the busy holiday shopping season, the number of ships at the ports reached more than 150 a day. Before the pandemic, the ports' highest number of ships waiting to anchor was 17, according to Business Insider.

The twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are the main gateway in the US for imports from Asia. Last year, they struggled to handle the surge of imports that resulted from businesses rushing to restock inventories and an increasing number of American consumers shopping online for products.

Russia and Ukraine might have a chance to make a deal to ease the conflict in Ukraine, but negotiations will be difficult, experts warned.

Ukraine's position in the fourth round of talks remained unchanged as Kyiv continued to demand a cease-fire and the withdrawal of Russian troops, Russian newspaper Vedomosti reported. It will be difficult for the parties to take the talks to another level, Russian International Affairs Council Director General Andrey Kortunov said. Both sides are capable of making agreements on humanitarian corridors but claims that cloud issues emerge from both sides even when these matters are discussed.

Alexander Gushchin, a senior researcher at the Institute of Post-Soviet and Interregional Studies at the Russian State University for the Humanities, said it's difficult to talk about serious changes in Kyiv's position at the moment, particularly as Ukraine needs to save face amid the tough emotional state of society, namely its far-right nationalist members.

Ukraine's position is also a result of the influence of its US partners. Gushchin said he expects Kyiv to focus on attempts to delay a decision on recognizing the independence of Donetsk and Lugansk as well as Crimea's status, dilute the concept of demilitarization and take on as little obligation as possible in terms of neutrality, replacing the idea with talk of security guarantees.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said a special military operation was launched in Ukraine after authorities of Donetsk and Lugansk requested assistance in "repelling Kyiv's military aggression", and added that Moscow would seek the "demilitarization and denazification" of Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is not interested in substantive negotiations, said Mikhail Barabanov, from the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies.

The West, which believes that Russia is in trouble, thinks the only thing it needs to do is continue to support Ukraine. It's too early to say if a Russian military success will push Ukraine toward real negotiations, Barabanov said.

Even if agreements are made, there are no guarantees that Ukraine will implement them, he added.

This week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba met in Antalya, Turkey, for the first time since the start of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu acted as a mediator.

The talks failed to bring any meaningful progress in resolving the crisis, Vedomosti newspaper reported.

Russian newspaper Izvestia wrote that Moscow and Kyiv still have the chance to reach compromises during the talks. However, "much will depend on the Ukrainian authorities' ability to develop a common position".

Political analysts have already taken note of some diplomatic progress, but it's too early to talk about positive outcomes, Izvestia said.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Zelensky's office, said video talks with Russia's delegation are ongoing. Leonid Slutsky, a member of the Russian delegation and head of the State Duma's Committee on International Affairs, also said dialogue between Moscow and Kyiv was continuing.

Deputy Chairman of the Russia's Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Andrei Klimov believes that Russia and Ukraine could reach an agreement if Kyiv is capable of making independent decisions.

"I can't help feeling that some other forces, particularly those from Washington and the United Kingdom, are also involved in the conversation," he said.

Agencies and Ren Qi in Moscow contributed to this story.

WASHINGTON - US House of Representatives on Thursday voted to suspend normal trade relations with Russia, paving the way for the US government to impose higher tariffs on Russian goods.

The lower chamber approved the measure by vote of 424-8, with a few Republicans voting against, sending the legislation to the Senate.

The House vote came just a few days after US President Joe Biden announced that the administration would revoke Russia's most-favored nation trade status amid the Ukraine crisis, along with Group of Seven (G7) countries and the European Union.

Biden also signed an executive order banning Russian seafood imports, as well as alcohol and certain diamonds. In addition, it bans the sale of US luxury goods to Russia, including high-end vehicles, luxury watches and top-shelf jewelry.

The United States also recently banned oil and gas imports from Russia, although they accounted for less than 10 percent of US energy imports.

Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University and senior United Nations advisor, recently told Xinhua that sanctions, which cause considerable damage, are "unlikely" to succeed in their political aims.

"The US and EU are very energetic in the imposition of sanctions, trade barriers, technology barriers, and financial barriers towards Russia... I do not agree with this," Sachs said.

Negotiation and compromise would be "much wiser", he said.

KYIV - Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and his visiting Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu during their talks on Thursday agreed to focus on organizing a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.

"We understand that all key issues related to ending this war must be resolved with President Putin," Kuleba said after the talks.

He reaffirmed Kiev's readiness to continue working on all diplomatic tracks to end Russia's offensive against Ukraine and withdraw Russian troops from Ukraine.

For his part, Cavusoglu said Turkey stands ready to host a meeting between Zelensky and Putin.

"Now, we are focusing our efforts on organizing a meeting of leaders of Ukraine and Russia," Cavusoglu said.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said that Zelensky may hold talks with Putin in the coming days.

China's ambassador to the United Nations on Thursday reiterated that the country remains committed to promoting peace through negotiation and called on the UN and all concerned parties to help ease the humanitarian situation in Ukraine.

China is deeply worried about the worsening humanitarian situation in Ukraine and saddened by the reported increase in civilian casualties and refugees, Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN, told a Security Council briefing on the refugee issue of Ukraine.

"The pressing task now is to call for maximum restraint from all parties and to ensure safety and security of all civilians, including women and children, and meet their basic humanitarian needs, so as to prevent the occurrence of a larger scale humanitarian crisis," Zhang said.

"China supports the work by the relevant parties in maintaining communication, ensuring safe and unimpeded humanitarian corridors and further facilitating personnel evacuation and humanitarian assistance," he continued.

Zhang stressed that the number of refugees and displaced persons caused by the conflict is still on the rise, "bringing huge impact on Ukraine and the surrounding countries".

China supports the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the World Health Organization (WHO), among others, in actively conducting operations and mobilizing the international community to assist all those in need, he said.

Zhang noticed that in the recent past, some people of African or Middle East descent encountered difficulties during evacuation.

"This should be taken seriously and addressed properly. All refugees, regardless of color, race or religion, shall be accorded the necessary protection under international refugee law," the envoy emphasized.

Zhang reiterated that China pays high attention to the humanitarian situation in Ukraine and has put forward a six-point proposal.

He said that the Red Cross Society of China has provided Ukraine with three batches of humanitarian supplies, with the third one containing milk powder and quilts for children, specifically helping the Red Cross Society of Ukraine assist displaced children affected by the conflict.

"We welcome any initiative or measure from any party that contributes to alleviating and resolving the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine," he said.

The ambassador stressed that the Security Council bears the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security and should therefore "play a positive role in easing the humanitarian situation in Ukraine. China hopes that the council can stay united on the humanitarian issue and demonstrate a constructive attitude."

The international community shares the common wish for cease-fire at an early date to alleviate the situation on the ground and prevent civilian casualties, he said.

"This is also the expectation of China," Zhang said.

He pointed out that to date, Russia and Ukraine have held four rounds of negotiations.

"Keeping the negotiations going means there is a chance for cease-fire, and that there is a chance for a peaceful future. China remains committed to promoting peace through negotiations," said Zhang.

"We support the UN and the parties concerned in vigorously carrying out good offices. We also hope that all parties will do more to facilitate peace talks and not add fuel to fire. Facts have proven that wanton use of sanctions will not solve any problem, but will instead create new problems," he said.

"Given the sluggish recovery in the global economy, ever-escalating sanctions are undermining the stability of the international industrial chain and supply chain, thus exacerbating food and energy crises, damaging people's livelihood in all countries, developing countries in particular, and triggering new humanitarian consequences," Zhang said.

"This is also an issue that the Security Council shall pay attention to when addressing the humanitarian issue of Ukraine," he said.

?

KYIV - Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said on Thursday it would take between a few days and a week and a half for Ukraine and Russia to reach a peace agreement, the Ukrainian online media outlet Liga.net reported.

Kyiv wants to fix in detail a specific plan for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine in the peace deal, said Podolyak, who is also a member of the Ukrainian delegation to the peace talks with Russia.

If the agreement is inked, it would allow Ukraine and Russia to end the acute phase of the conflict, he added.

On Wednesday, Podolyak said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky may hold talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the coming days.

BEIJING - The key to solving the Ukraine crisis is in the hands of the United States and NATO, and China hopes that the United States can truly stand on the side of peace and justice with most developing countries in the world, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Thursday.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a news conference that China has been promoting peace talks and making efforts to resolve the crisis peacefully, and will continue to play a constructive role on the issue.

He stressed that the initiators of the Ukraine crisis should carefully reflect on their role in it, earnestly assume their due responsibilities, and take practical steps to ease the situation and solve the problem, rather than blame others.

The US government's decision on NATO's eastward expansion is directly linked to the current crisis in Ukraine, Zhao said, adding that the key to resolving the Ukraine crisis lies in the hands of the United States and NATO, and China hopes that the United States can truly stand on the side of peace and justice with most developing countries in the world to ease the situation in Ukraine.

He said China's position on the Ukraine issue is fair and objective, and the countries that should really "feel uncomfortable" are those that think they have won the Cold War and can dominate the world, ignore the concerns of other countries and continue to advance NATO's enlargement through five rounds of eastward expansion.

BERLIN - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday called on Germany to take a leadership role in providing more support for his country.

While addressing the German parliament via video, Zelensky called on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to provide more support.

Disappointed by its failure to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Zelensky said Ukraine is still seeking access to the European Union.

At a press conference in March, Scholz made clear that Germany and NATO will not play an active role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, adding that his government would use all diplomatic means for "a joint way out of this crisis".

BEIJING -- The sharp difference in Western media coverage of the Ukraine situation and other conflicts has laid bare their deep-rooted racist bias and double standards.

Their emphasis on the Ukrainians' race and disregard for tragedies in other parts of the world have drawn criticism particularly from the Middle East.

RACIST BIAS

In their reports, numerous Western journalists have focused on the look, skin color, race and religion of Ukranian evacuees, and made a comparison between them and refugees from the Middle East and North Africa. The unspoken implication is that the former are superior to the latter and have less reason to suffer from any plight.

"To put it bluntly, these are not refugees from Syria, these are refugees from Ukraine ... They're Christian, they're white, they're very similar (to us)," said Kelly Cobiella, an NBC News correspondent based in London, on video.

On BFM TV, France's most-watched cable news channel, journalist Phillipe Corbe said: "We're not talking here about Syrians ... We're talking about Europeans leaving in cars that look like ours to save their lives."

Since the onset of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, remarks of a racist nature have been circulating on Western media, irritating people from around the world, especially those who have fled their homes due to color revolutions or wars waged by the West.

Mohammed al-Jubouri, a professor of the media college at Al-Iraqia University in Baghdad, said that the West has been playing dumb over the refugee issues of Iraq, Syria and Yemen, as well as Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory, as if people in those places were inherently inferior and unworthy of respect.

RACE SUPERIORITY

The reason why a military conflict is taking place on a so-called "civilized" continent has shocked most Western journalists and partly lies in the penetration of West-centrism across their industry, but the theory is plainly grounded upon race superiority.

When reporting from Kyiv in late February, Charlie D'Agata, a senior foreign correspondent with CBS News, said: "This isn't a place, with all due respect, like Iraq or Afghanistan, that has seen conflict raging for decades," but "a relatively civilized, relatively European" city.

"They seem so like us. That is what makes it so shocking," wrote Daniel Hannan in Britain's The Telegraph. "War is no longer something visited upon impoverished and remote populations. It can happen to anyone."

"We are in the 21st century, we are in a European city and we have cruise missiles fired as if we were in Iraq or Afghanistan, can you imagine," a commentator said on BFM TV.

The truth is apparent how Western governments and Western media view the conflict in Ukraine, a country they have abandoned, in comparison to the wars they waged in particular against West Asian countries, said a recent opinion article published in Iran's Tehran Times.

"The idea that a conflict inside 'civilized' Europe is so alarming because wars only happen in countries that are 'uncivilized' is such disturbing double standards and hypocritical analyses," it said. "All the wars outside Europe, the vast majority of which in West Asia and Africa, occurred as a result of Western imperialism, plots and military adventurism."

Speaking of the racist reports, Amiya Mohan, a veteran Indian journalist and analyst, regards race supremacy as "the root cause," saying many Western media outlets "are unable to hide their bias," which is "really sad and disappointing."

Earlier this month, the Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association based in New York issued a statement on relevant reporting, condemning the "racist implications that any population or country is 'uncivilized' or bears economic factors that make it worthy of conflict."

"This type of commentary reflects the pervasive mentality in Western journalism of normalizing tragedy in parts of the world such as the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, and Latin America," it continued.

Calling those racist reports "abhorrent," Cavince Adhere, a Kenyan international relations scholar, noted that many African countries have been subject to the West's stereotypical and negative reporting, which only made local people "tired and weary of misreporting, disinformation and stereotype journalism from some Western media outlets."

MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday stressed the importance of establishing a verification mechanism as US-funded biological laboratories in Ukraine have caused concern.

The issue of US-funded biological laboratories in Ukraine must be addressed within the framework of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, Lavrov said during a briefing.

Moscow plans to redouble its efforts to ensure that the United States stops blocking Russia's proposal made 20 years ago on the creation of a verification mechanism under the convention on biological agents that could be used to make bioweapons, he said.

In addition to over 30 biolabs in Ukraine, the United States has created "hundreds of such laboratories" in other countries, he noted.

"I believe that the international community will soon be convinced that such inadmissible activities are fraught with deadly risks for a huge number of people," Lavrov said.

On March 8, while testifying before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Ukraine, US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland admitted "Ukraine has biological research facilities."

At a UN Security Council meeting called by Russia to discuss the United States' alleged military biological research in Ukraine on Saturday, US permanent representative to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said, "Ukraine does not have a biological weapons program. There are no Ukrainian biological weapons laboratories supported by the United States."

MOSCOW/KYIV - Following a new round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that Moscow is prepared to continue high-level trilateral negotiations with Ukraine mediated by Turkey.

"If such initiatives appear, we would only be happy to continue communicating in this format," Lavrov said at a press conference following his talks with Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Moscow.

He explained that Moscow would only be interested in talks with Ukraine if these would lead to concrete results and solve existing problems.

According to Cavusoglu, Turkey is ready to host a potential meeting between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine.

Lavrov met with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in Turkey's southern province of Antalya last week on the sidelines of an international forum.

This was the first high-level meeting between Moscow and Kyiv since Russia launched a "special military operation" in Ukraine on Feb 24.

Earlier Wednesday, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky said Russia and Ukraine have achieved some progress on a number of issues during the new round of talks.

"Some progress has been achieved on a number of positions, but not all. The positions of the parties are quite clear, we are moving slowly," local media reported, citing Medinsky, who is also the head of Moscow's delegation.

"The preservation and development of Ukraine's neutral status, Ukraine's demilitarization along with a whole range of issues related to the size of the Ukrainian army are being discussed," Medinsky said, adding that the Ukrainian side had proposed a Swedish or Austrian example of a neutral demilitarized state.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict continues on Thursday as relevant parties are working to broker a peaceful solution.

For South Africa's Deputy President David Mabuza, diplomacy remains "the key tool" to end the Ukraine-Russia conflict and no amount of condemnation and side taking will resolve this problem.

South Africa continues to call for the parties to work together towards building trust and confidence by "intensifying existing peace mechanisms and dialogue" in order to achieve long-lasting solutions to the conflict, he said.

Qin Gang, the Chinese ambassador to the United States, said in an opinion piece published Tuesday in The Washington Post that China did not know in advance about Russia's plan for a military operation against Ukraine, nor did Beijing support it.

"On Ukraine, China's position is objective and impartial," the ambassador said. "The purposes and principles of the UN Charter must be fully observed; the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, including Ukraine, must be respected; the legitimate security concerns of all countries must be taken seriously; and all efforts that are conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis must be supported."

In another development, NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday in Brussels that the organization is working on resetting its deterrence and defense in the context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

"We face a new reality for our security. So we must reset our collective defense and deterrence for the longer term," said Stoltenberg following the extraordinary meeting of NATO ministers of defense, of which defense ministers from Ukraine, Georgia, Finland and Sweden also participated.

The NATO's military commanders have been tasked with developing options on land, in air, at sea, in the cyber space, and in space, according to Stoltenberg.

The process for the reset started with a political decision, which is now followed by a consultation of the military commanders, who should issue their advice within weeks, said Stoltenberg, adding that leaders of NATO member states will make a decision by June.

US President Joe Biden referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin as a "war criminal" on Wednesday, prompting a rebuke from the Kremlin.

"We believe such rhetoric to be unacceptable and unforgivable on the part of the head of a state, whose bombs have killed hundreds of thousands of people around the world," said Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov, according to news agencies TASS and Ria Novosti.

Biden made the remark to reporters while he was explaining that the United States was offering an additional $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine to fight Russia, with the new package including drones and anti-armor systems. The US has pledged a total of $13.6 billion in overall aid to Ukraine.

He was asked at the White House by a reporter if he considered Russia's president a war criminal. Initially, Biden responded, "No," but then he asked the journalist to clarify the question and said: "Oh, I think he is a war criminal."

The remark followed the US Senate unanimously passing a resolution Tuesday calling Putin a war criminal.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who has been sanctioned by Russia, said Wednesday that there was a separate legal process run by the State Department to determine war crimes and that was ongoing separately.

The Geneva Conventions ratified by the United Nations define war crimes as willful killing; torture or inhuman treatment, including biological experiments; willfully causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or health; extensive destruction and appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly; compelling a prisoner of war or other protected person to serve in the forces of a hostile power; willfully depriving a prisoner of war or other protected person of the rights of fair and regular trial; unlawful deportation or transfer or unlawful confinement, and taking of hostages.

Biden also accused the Russian military of bombing hospitals and apartment buildings, which Moscow has denied.

Putin stressed that Russian forces "are working with modern high-precision weapons", hitting only military targets.

On Wednesday, Putin said he was prepared to discuss neutral status for Ukraine but that the special military operation to "demilitarize and denazify" the country was "going to plan", justified by the need to uphold Russian security.

Putin also gave a televised speech in which he accused the West of trying to divide Russia with lies and criticized "traitors" inside Russia, the BBC reported.

"Of course they will try to bet on the so-called fifth column, on traitors — on those who earn their money here but live over there. Live, not in the geographical sense, but in the sense of their thoughts, their slavish thinking," Putin said.

"Any people, and especially the Russian people, will always be able to distinguish the true patriots from the scum and the traitors, and just to spit them out like a fly that accidentally flew into their mouths," he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said negotiations with Russia were becoming "more realistic", and Russia's foreign minister said proposals under discussion were "close to an agreement".

In a speech to the US Congress by video on Wednesday, Zelensky appealed for tougher sanctions on Russia and more weapons to help his country, repeating a request for a no-fly zone over Ukraine, something the West fears would worsen the conflict.

Zelensky last month sent separate letters to Meta Platforms (parent of Facebook and Instagram) CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg, asking them to block Russia's media outlets from posting on Facebook in Ukraine, according to a Bloomberg report. He also asked that they cut off Facebook and Instagram in Russia itself. Neither Zuckerberg nor Sandberg responded.

Meta also clarified Monday that users cannot make posts calling for the assassination of Putin or other heads of state. The Silicon Valley social media company also said that a previously reported temporary easing of its hate-speech policy applies only to posts by users in Ukraine making threats to occupying forces and "only in the context of speech regarding the Russian military invasion of Ukraine".

Russia on Friday opened a criminal case against Meta over the policy.

"A criminal case has been initiated ... in connection with illegal calls for murder and violence against citizens of the Russian Federation by employees of the American company Meta, which owns the social networks Facebook and Instagram," Russia's Investigative Committee said.

Reuters contributed to this story.