China backs Trump's Ukraine peace bid; says it's willing to play constructive role

China on Feb 20 at a Group of 20 (G-20) meeting in South Africa came out in support of US President Donald Trump's bid to strike a deal with Russia to end the war in Ukraine, while US allies rallied around Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

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Less than a month into his presidency, Mr Trump has upended US policy on the war, scrapping a campaign to isolate Moscow with a phone call to Russian President Vladimir Putin and talks between senior US and Russian officials that have sidelined Ukraine.

Mr Trump on Feb 19 denounced Mr Zelensky as a "dictator", prompting statements of support for the Ukrainian President from G-20 members such as Australia, Germany and Britain.

"China supports all efforts conducive to peace (in Ukraine), including the recent consensus reached between the United States and Russia," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told other G-20 foreign ministers gathered in Johannesburg, according to a statement from his ministry. "China is willing to continue playing a constructive role in the political resolution of the crisis." Mr Wang did not repeat the point he made at the Munich Security Conference on Feb 14 that all stakeholders in the Russia-Ukraine conflict should participate in any peace talks.