Ukraine’s Volodymr Zelensky says he has had a „long and meaningful” phone call with China’s Xi Jinping, their first contact since Russia’s war began, stating that he believed the call, along with the appointment of an ambassador to Beijing, would „give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations”.
China confirmed the call, adding that it „always stood on the side of peace”.
Unlike the West, Beijing has sought to appear neutral on the Russian invasion, without ever condemning Moscow for the invasion. In his visit to Russia last month, Xi referred to Vladimir Putin as his „dear” friend, but made no commitment to providing Russia with weapons.
Within days of the visit, President Zelensky invited the Chinese leader to visit Kiev for talks, noting they had contact before the full-scale war but hadn’t spoken since it began in February 2022.
In a readout of Wednesday’s phone call, China quoted President Xi as saying that China, „as a responsible majority country”, would „neither watch the fire from the other side, nor add fuel to the fire, let alone take advantage of the crisis to profit”.
That statement appeared to be a swipe at China’s biggest international rival, the US, which has provided the most help towards Ukraine’s response to the Russian war, reports the BBC.
Earlier this month, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said that Mr Xi had spoken of his willingness to talk to Ukraine’s leader when the „conditions and time are right”. She had joined French President Emmanuel Macron on a visit to Beijing. This may have someone to do with Xi’s willingness to talk, after Zelensky has repeatedly reached out.
In its readout of the call, Beijing announced its willingness to engage directly with Ukraine, by sending a special representative on Eurasian affairs to Kiev and other capitals for „in-depth communication” on a political settlement.
Opinion | Lessons and Reflections on Eight Years in the Chinese Gulag
