Ukraine war live updates: Russia says China could hold peace talks; Ukraine thanks Sweden for $1.2 billion in military aid

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov suggested on Thursday that China could hold peace talks to resolve the Ukrainian crisis, praising Beijing for its “constructive approach.”

“We share [China’s] standpoint that it is crucial, first and foremost, to address the root causes and protect the legitimate interests of all parties,” Lavrov said in an interview with Rossiya Segodnya media group, according to comments published via the Foreign Ministry’s website.

His comments come shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged U.S. President Joe Biden to attend a peace summit in Switzerland in mid-June.

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy has thanked Sweden for donating a military support package worth 13 billion kronor ($1.2 billion).

“Today we are grateful to Sweden: there is a new and very significant military package for our warriors,” Zelenskyy said Wednesday during his daily evening address.

“We are working at maximum capacity to make our air defense system more effective, and Sweden is providing Ukraine with special radar surveillance aircraft; armored vehicles and ammunition are also part of this package,” he added.