An armed man gestures from a barricade in front of the police headquarters in Slaviansk, April 12, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]

BEIJING - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday that a political resolution was the only way to end the Ukraine crisis, as Moscow and Kiev edged closer to a military confrontation.

Ukraine crisis

Wang made the comments during a meeting in Beijing with his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who said that both China and Germany had an interest in ensuring that the Crimea issue does not set a precedent.

Over the weekend, armed separatists took control of a city in eastern Ukraine and Kiev prepared troops to tackle what it called an "act of aggression by Russia".

The West accuses Russia of destabilising the region as a pretext to potentially sending in troops to protect the local Russian-speaking population.

Armed men seize two government buildings in eastern Ukraine	Ukraine moves to end separatist grip on eastern town