Their first communication since the start of Russia’s conflict, according to Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, was a “long and meaningful” phone call with Xi Jinping of China.
On Twitter, he expressed his belief that the call and the appointment of an ambassador to Beijing would “give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations”.
China acknowledged the call and said that it “always stood on the side of peace”.
Beijing, in contrast to the West, has attempted to appear unaffected by the Russian incursion.
However, it has never shied away from criticizing the invasion or its close connections to Moscow, and President Xi visited Russia for two days last month.
In addition to offering a nebulous 12-point peace proposal, he addressed President Vladimir Putin as his “dear friend” and claimed that China was on the right side of history.
He didn’t promise to provide Russia with any weaponry, though.
After the visit, President Zelensky invited the Chinese leader to Kyiv for talks, emphasizing that they had spoken before the full-scale conflict started in February 2022 but had not since.
President Xi was cited as stressing 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,” in a readout of the phone call from Wednesday.
That remark appeared to be a jab at China’s main global rival, the US, which has contributed significantly to Ukraine’s response to the Russian assault.
The phone contact was hailed as “a good thing” by White House spokesman John Kirby, who added that it was too soon to say whether it would result in “some sort of meaningful peace movement, plan, or proposal.”
Not simply because Russia has demonstrated no willingness to remove its forces from Ukraine’s sovereign land, but also because China is unlikely to play a significant role in bringing the war to an end. President Zelensky reaffirmed a crucial demand from Kyiv: “There can be no peace at the expense of territorial compromises.”
Beijing’s service as a mediator has also been criticized, with critics pointing to Mr. Xi’s strong affinity with the leader of Russia as well as China’s booming trade with Russia and its hesitation to even use the word “invasion”.
Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, said although Moscow saw “broad concord” with China’s strategy, Kyiv’s “unrealistic demands” remained the biggest obstacle. Moscow’s demands include acknowledging the annexation of significant portions of Ukrainian land, notably the 2014-invaded Crimea.
The call’s news made headlines in the strictly regulated state media sources in China, which also published China’s interpretation of the call.
On Chinese social media platforms, users seemed to be in favor, with many urging for amicable communication and backing what they perceived as China acting responsibly.
