BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- China and Brazil issued a joint statement on the Ukraine crisis on Tuesday, welcoming Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposal to open peace talks and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's positive response.

The statement said that China and Brazil hope that Russia and Ukraine will begin a direct dialogue as soon as possible, which is the only way to end the conflict.

It said that China and Brazil commend recent signals of willingness to engage in dialogue on the Ukraine crisis, and expect relevant parties to initiate fruitful negotiations, build a greater consensus to achieve a political settlement, and address the legitimate concerns of all parties. China and Brazil believe it is necessary to find a solution to the Ukraine crisis by examining its root cause, with the aim of reaching a fair, lasting and binding peace agreement.

The statement said that to achieve that goal, China and Brazil in May 2024 called on all relevant parties to create the conditions for the resumption of dialogue, and launched the Group of Friends for Peace at the United Nations in September of the same year, with the aim of uniting the countries of the Global South.

China and Brazil are willing to work with the rest of the Global South to continue making active efforts to resolve the crisis, the statement said.  ■