China has refused to condemn Russia over the Bucha killings amid an international outcry, urging all parties to avoid “unfounded accusations,” while calling violence against civilians unacceptable. On April 5, China’s ambassador to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, at a security council meeting urged restraint from all parties and end to what he called groundless accusations. Although he described the reports and images of events in Bucha “very disturbing,” Zhang failed to hold Russia accountable for the atrocities in the city, citing a lack of evidence. In his address, Zhang referred to the killings as an “incident” and Russian aggression in Ukraine as a “conflict” or “crisis.” Furthermore, the envoy criticized international sanctions, which he believes to be an ineffective solution to the issue. “On the contrary, they [sanctions] accelerate spillover of the crisis and cause new complicated issues,” he said. The killings in Bucha came to light on April …