The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, has appointed Pavel Ryabikin, who previously headed the Ministry of Strategy and Industry, as the ambassador of Ukraine to China, writes UNN with reference to the decree of the Head of State.
The appointment was made after Zelenskyi's conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
"To appoint Pavel Ryabikin as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the People's Republic of China," reads the text of decree No. 239/2023 of April 26, 2023.
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.
In China, it was noted that they will send a special representative of the government to Ukraine.
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 strove to position himself as an intermediary 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 from the initiative are unclear.