Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has informed that he had a “long and meaningful conversation” with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and it was the first between the two officials since the beginning of the war, BBC writes.
Zelensky wrote on Twitter after the phone call that he considers the conversation with Xi and the appointment of the ambassador to work in Beijing as a strong stimulus for the development of interstate relations. China confirmed that the conversation had taken place and said it had “always been on the side of peace”.
During Xi’s visit to Moscow in April, Zelensky invited him to visit Kyiv as well, noting that Ukraine and China maintained contact before February 2022. In the description of the call that took place on Wednesday, the 26th of April, Xi was quoted as saying that
China, as a responsible country, neither looks at the flames nor adds fuel to them,
let alone take advantage of the crisis to profit”. Xi’s statement sounds like a nod to the US, which has supplied Ukraine with weapons since the beginning of the war.
The possibility that China could help end the war seems quite unlikely, and not only because Russia shows no readiness to withdraw its forces from the sovereign territory of Ukraine. This is one of the main conditions of Kyiv. Critics also question China’s role as a mediator, given both Xi’s friendship with Putin and China’s growing economic cooperation with Russia.
The representative of Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova informed that
Moscow sees a perspective for China’s peace plan, but Kyiv’s “unrealistic demands” are an obstacle.
Moscow’s demands, in turn, include the official recognition of large areas annexed by it as part of Russia.
Wednesday’s phone call is not unexpected. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated after her visit to China that Xi expressed interest in talks with Ukraine when the time and place are suitable. Zelensky has already addressed the Chinese president and admitted that the influence of the Asian country can help end the war.
China has announced its desire to work directly with Kyiv and will send its representative there. Zelensky, in turn, has appointed former minister Pavlo Ryabkin as Ukraine’s ambassador to China.
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