Ukraine to support any de-escalation efforts: Zelensky

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Ukraine to support any de-escalation efforts: Zelensky

2026-02-04 09:20 Last Updated At：19:17

Ukraine will support any de-escalation efforts, President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Kyiv on Tuesday.

Zelensky said that all parties will focus their discussions on the information provided by the Russian side in the new round of trilateral talks between Ukraine, the United States, and Russia, which will be held in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Ukrainian president also said that he will be in constant contact with the Ukrainian negotiation team to know the suggestions and proposals from the Russian side.

Ukraine must seek dialogue in the negotiations and will support any initiatives aimed at easing the situation, but will not "surrender", he noted.

Also on Tuesday, Rutte said at the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) of Ukraine that once a peace agreement is reached between Russia and Ukraine, the ground, air, and naval forces from the countries of the "coalition of the willing" informal group will be deployed to Ukraine "instantly", according to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

But in order to reach a peace agreement, Ukraine needs to make a "difficult decision", Rutte said.

On Monday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed the arrangement for the new round of talks following Zelensky's announcement on Sunday.

Peskov said that the mediation of the Ukraine issue is a complex and multi-dimensional process.

He said all parties are close to reaching solutions on some issues, but warned that on others, they have not yet found common ground.

He added that Russia remains open to negotiations.

In a statement released by the Russian Foreign Ministry on Thursday, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov outlined Russia's position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Ukraine-related commitments, international security guarantees, and the construction of a multipolar world.

Russia regards this conflict as "a major confrontation between Russia and the West", and Ukraine is "a pawn and a tool used by the West to build up a bridgehead right on the borders of the Russian Federation" in order to create direct security threats, Lavrov said.

The first round of trilateral talks aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict took place on Jan. 23-24 in Abu Dhabi. This marked the first trilateral engagement between the three countries since the breakout of the conflict in February 2022, although no concrete agreement or joint statement was announced following the talks.

China's No. 1 central document for 2026 offers guidance for modern agricultural development: official

China's "No. 1 central document" for 2026 offers a directional guidance for future modern agricultural development, which features enriched connotation, a more complete industrial system, and higher value-added products, said Zhu Weidong, deputy director of the Office of the Central Rural Work Leading Group on Wednesday.

China unveiled its "No. 1 central document" for 2026 on Tuesday, outlining plans to advance agricultural and rural modernization and to promote all-around rural revitalization.

As the first policy statement released by China's central authorities each year, the document is seen as an indicator of policy priorities.

"The meaning of agriculture has evolved with the times, with its multiple functions becoming more obvious and industrial boundaries expanding continuously. The development of sci-tech-driven, eco-friendly, quality-focused, and brand-oriented agriculture has emerged as a new trend. Meanwhile, the integrated development of primary, secondary and tertiary industries in rural areas continues to foster new industries and new business formats. Building agriculture into a modern large-scale industry does not mean that the larger the scale of its production and operation is, the better it would be. Instead, it emphasizes enriching the connotation of agriculture, establishing a more complete industrial system, and producing goods with higher added value," said Zhu, also also deputy director of the Office of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission, at a press conference in Beijing.

To realize this vision, Zhu made further elaboration from three aspects.

"This can be construed from three aspects. First, it involves simultaneous development of farming, forestry, animal husbandry and fisheries. Agriculture is not only about growing and harvesting grain, but also about promoting establishment of a diversified food supply system. Second, it requires integration of production and sales. The focus must extend beyond production to include post-production development, so as to enhance agricultural quality and efficiency. And third, it focuses on fusion of agriculture with culture and tourism. To meet the changing consumption demands of urban and rural residents, it is essential to upgrade rural tourism and develop 'small yet beautiful' cultural and tourism formats to promote rural economic prosperity," he said.