Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that China has economic leverage on Vladimir Putin to end the conflict. In an interview with The South China Morning Postt, the Ukrainian leader urged the Asian superpower to use its enormous political and economic influence over Russia to stop the fighting.

"It's a very strong state. It's a powerful economy... So (it) can influence Russia politically, economically. And China is a permanent member of the UN Security Council," Zelensky said.

The 40-minute interview in Zoom was his first interview with an Asian publication since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.

"I'm sure, I'm sure that without the Chinese market for Russian Federation, Russia would feel totally economically isolated," he said. "That's what China can do - limit trade (with Russia) until the war is over," the Ukrainian president stressed.

Zelensky also called on China to use its status on the U.N. Security Council to "show" countries that they need to comply with international norms.

"If we act without legislation, why do we need the Security Council at all if any country ... or several countries in the world can just decide to violate the rules militarily?" he questioned.

The Ukrainian leader said he understood that China wanted to maintain a "balanced" attitude toward the war, but it is important to note that the conflict was based on an unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine's sovereign territory.

"The Russians are invaders...this is a war on our territory, they came to invade. China, as a big and powerful country, can come in and kind of put Russian Federation [in] a certain place," he said. "Of course, I would really like China to reconsider its attitude toward Russian Federation," Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian president also said he would like to have a phone conversation with the Chinese leader. "I would like to talk directly. I had one conversation with [President] Xi Jinping a year ago," he said. "Since the large-scale aggression began on Feb. 24, we have formally asked for a conversation, but we (haven't) had any conversations with China, although I think it would have been helpful," the Ukrainian president said.

Zelensky said Xi was one of the few world leaders to visit Ukraine "at least once," adding that the Chinese leader warmly recalled his ties to the Eastern European country during a phone conversation between the two leaders last year.

Asked if he would welcome China's help in rebuilding his war-torn country, Zelensky said he hoped that "China, Chinese business" and "the whole world" would contribute to the process.

"I would really like to see the whole world [unite] over this process. It's very difficult for us to overcome this," Zelensky said, adding that Russian missile strikes have destroyed infrastructure in many cities.