UN supports equal Russia-Ukraine talks to resolve conflict: spokesman

United Nations (UN) secretary-general spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Friday that the UN supports equal negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to resolve the conflict and achieve a ceasefire, in response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's open letter proposing a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the peace process.

Dujarric told a press conference that the UN will always support all parties and help push for a just, comprehensive, and sustainable ceasefire.

"In any conflict, direct negotiations on the right basis and on an equal basis are critical to resolving the conflict. And we will always be there to support the parties in order to reach a just, comprehensive and sustainable ceasefire and an end to the conflict within the parameters that we always state," he said.

Earlier on Friday, Putin said at the 29th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) that Zelenskyy's open letter was "rude and disrespectful" and that a meeting with the Ukrainian leader would be "pointless" at this stage.

When asked about the exchange, Dujarric said the UN would not interpret the verbal back-and-forth, emphasizing that the UN's position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict remains unchanged. He said the UN has always been ready to do whatever it can to help bring an end to the war.

UN supports equal Russia-Ukraine talks to resolve conflict: spokesman

The eastern corridor of the China-Europe Freight Train service has seen more than 3,000 trips on it so far this year, marking a major milestone in cross-border rail transport.

A return train carrying cooking oil, automobile tires and aluminum ingots on Saturday entered China through the Manzhouli port, the country's largest inland port, bound for Wuhan in central China.

The corridor, comprising the Manzhouli, Suifenhe and Tongjiang North railway ports, now operates 27 stable routes linking more than 60 Chinese cities with 14 European countries including Poland, Germany and The Netherlands.

From January to April, the eastern corridor accounted for 32.1 percent of China's total China-Europe Freight Train traffic, with return trips making up 41.1 percent of the national total.

The China-Europe Freight Train service began operations in 2011 and has grown rapidly since the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative. As of Feb 26, the eastern corridor had already witnessed more than 1,000 train trips on its railway lines for the current year, breaking the mark 26 days earlier than the figure for the previous year.

Eastern corridor of China-Europe Freight Train service witnesses over 3,000 trips in 2026