Russian Foreign Ministry says ready to help evacuate Chinese citizens from conflict zones in Ukraine

MOSCOW. March 5 (Interfax) - Russia stands ready to help evacuate Chinese citizens who are currently in conflict zones in Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko met with Chinese Ambassador in Moscow Zhang Hanhui on Saturday.

"The parties exchanged opinions on the situation around Ukraine. The Russian side expressed its gratitude to Chinese partners for their balanced stance on the events in this country," the Foreign Ministry said on its website.

"We reaffirmed our readiness to extend comprehensive support regarding the evacuation of Chinese citizens who are currently in zones of fighting in the territory of Ukraine," it said.

The sides also underscored the high efficiency of foreign policy interaction between Russia and China, the ministry said.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the day before that there are currently more than 7,500 foreign citizens in Ukrainian cities, including 121 Chinese citizens in the city of Sumy.