The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, announced that he had a long telephone conversation with the President of China, Xi Jinping, the first since the beginning of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. The head of state called the negotiations meaningful.
"I had a long and meaningful telephone conversation with the President of China, Xi Jinping. I believe that he, as well as the appointment of the ambassador of Ukraine to China, will give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations," Zelenskyi said on Twitter.
Chinese leader Xi has not visited Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion. European leaders have urged Xi Jinping to at least talk on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, but the Chinese leader has not yet done so.
At the same time, Xi maintained ties with Russian President Putin, whom he called a "dear friend" during a recent visit to Moscow.
Unlike Western countries, China did not impose sanctions against Moscow due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
However, he sought to position himself as a mediator to achieve peace.
In late February, Beijing released its "Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis," a 12-point plan that calls for "respecting the sovereignty of all countries," "abandoning the Cold War mentality" and "ceasing hostilities," hoping to "start peace talks." .
Commenting on the "peace plan" for ending Russia's war against Ukraine, proposed by China, Zelenskyi said that the document is not a resolution or a declaration, but only opinions shared by this country, and some points of the initiative are unclear.
At the same time, the US expressed concern that the Chinese government may be planning to supply Russia with weapons and ammunition. Recently, Blinken stated that China "has not crossed the line" regarding lethal aid to Russia.
