China Calls for Peace Talks After Vladimir Putin Mobilizes for Ukraine War

Beijing renewed its calls for peace talks in Ukraine on Wednesday, hours after President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to mobilize a portion of Russia’s armed forces. In a televised address from Moscow, the Russian leader said he would support defense chief Sergei Shoigu’s mobilization proposal in order to achieve operational goals in Ukraine. Reservists and former armed forces personnel with “certain military speciality and relevant experience” would be called up, Putin said. Shoigu estimated that around 300,000 soldiers would join what the Kremlin continues to call a “special military operation.” Wang Wenbin, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, called for the…