Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had a “long and meaningful” telephone call on Wednesday, their first known contact since Russia invaded Ukraine more than a year ago, and Beijing appointed an envoy to pursue a “political settlement.”
The hour-long call came two months after Beijing said it wanted to act as a mediator, and a month after Xi visited Moscow. The call also coincided with indications that Ukraine is readying its forces for a spring counteroffensive.
Zelenskiy was upbeat about the conversation, which offered him the chance to insert his views into what had been a bilateral dialogue between Moscow and Beijing. Russian President Vladimir Putin is eager to keep Xi close as a counterweight to the US, which has sided with Ukraine.
Photo: AFP
“I believe that this call, as well as the appointment of Ukraine’s ambassador to China, will give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations,” Zelenskiy wrote on Facebook.
An official readout on his Web site called the conversation “productive” and said it leads a way toward “possible interaction with the aim of establishing a just and sustainable peace for Ukraine.”
Zelenskiy emphasized the need to regain all Ukrainian lands.
“There can be no peace at the expense of territorial compromises,” he said.
In an indirect reference to US reports that China had considered supplying weapons to Russia for the war, Zelenskiy’s office said he asked countries to refrain from doing so because “any support — even partial — is converted by Russia into the continuation of its aggression, into its further rejection of peace.”
China has said it would not supply weapons to either side.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Beijing’s “core stance is to facilitate talks for peace.”
A former ambassador to Russia has been asked to visit Ukraine to seek a “political settlement,” the ministry said.
The ministry’s statement struck a positive tone, acknowledging that Ukrainian territory cannot be broken up by Russia’s annexations and making clear that Beijing values its longstanding ties with Ukraine.
“Mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity is the political foundation of China-Ukraine relations,” the statement said. “China’s readiness to develop relations with Ukraine is consistent and clear-cut. No matter how the international situation evolves, China will work with Ukraine to advance mutually beneficial cooperation.”
The call balances China’s dialogue with Russia by showing it is “recognizing Ukraine’s leadership and indicating Ukraine is an important entity,” Columbia University political science professor Kimberly Marten said in New York.
The White House described it as a positive development, allowing Xi to hear Ukraine’s view.
“We think that’s a good thing,” US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.
When China in February called for a ceasefire and peace talks, Zelenskiy welcomed Beijing’s involvement, but said success would depend on actions, not words.
Meanwhile, Brussels welcomed Wednesday’s conversation between the two leaders.
“It is an important, long overdue first step by China in exercising its responsibilities as a member of the UN Security Council,” European Commission spokesman Eric Mamer said.
“China’s leadership needs to use its influence to bring Russia to end its war of aggression, restore Ukraine’s territorial integrity and respect its sovereignty, as a basis for a just peace,” Mamer said.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell also welcomed the development.
“It is very important that China talks with Ukraine. I want to remind you that we all want peace,” Borell told journalists in Bogota, speaking in Spanish.
However, “it has to be a just peace that recognizes the rights of the rights of the people of Ukraine,” he added.
Additional reporting by AFP
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