Chinese President Xi Jinping told Volodymyr Zelenskiy that the only way to achieve peace for Ukraine is through negotiations with Russia.
(Bloomberg) — Chinese President Xi Jinping told Volodymyr Zelenskiy that the only way to achieve peace for Ukraine is through negotiations with Russia.
In their first conversation since the Russian invasion last year, Xi also told the Ukrainian leader that China will send an envoy to visit Kyiv. Ukrainian officials said the nearly one-hour conversation was an “important dialog.”
The talks underscore Beijing’s efforts to position itself as a neutral mediator as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war extends into its second year. Yet they also highlight the risks for Zelenskiy — Xi’s push for a cease-fire in the conflict would cement Russia’s gains while Ukraine is preparing for a counteroffensive that aims to reclaim more of its territory.
China has been committed to promoting peace talks in an impartial manner, Yu Jun, an official at the Chinese foreign ministry, said at a briefing late Wednesday. China will send a delegation to Ukraine and other countries led by Li Hui, who was Beijing’s ambassador to Moscow for 10 years, although there is no timetable yet for the visit, he said.
“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 said on Twitter.
The conversation may be seen as an attempt by Xi to regain the initiative after China’s ambassador to France sparked outrage last week by questioning the independence of Ukraine and other post-Soviet states. Even as China moved to extinguish the firestorm those comments caused throughout much of Europe, the remarks hurt Xi’s efforts to portray China as a neutral party to help end the war.
“It could be interpreted as a damage control or PR — to convince the world that China is peaceful and distancing itself from Russia,” said Justyna Szczudlik, deputy head of research at the Polish Institute of International Affairs in Warsaw. “The call should not be perceived as a breakthrough.”
After 14 months of fighting, Russian forces control large swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine although Kyiv did regain control of Kharkiv in the north and Kherson on the Black Sea during an offensive last fall.
China’s 12-point cease-fire proposal released earlier this year was quickly dismissed by Kyiv’s allies as a one-sided deal that would benefit the Kremlin. Putin has said Zelenskiy is unwilling to negotiate.
“We believe it’s important for President Xi and PRC officials to avail themselves of the Ukrainian perspective on this illegal, unprovoked invasion by Russia,” said John Kirby, the spokesman for the US National Security Council. “Whether that’s going to lead to some sort of meaningful peace movement or plan or proposal, I just don’t think we know that right now.”
Xi has been trying to maintain a delicate balancing act ever since the war begin. Three weeks before the invasion he had hosted Putin in Beijing and declared there were “no limits” to the friendship between Russia and China.
Trade between the two countries has surged since the US and the European Union hit Moscow with sanctions in response to the war. But China has so far held back from supplying Russia directly with weapons – a line that the US has warned Beijing not to cross.
Separately, Ukraine appointed its former Minister of Strategic Industries Pavlo Riabikin as ambassador to China, according to a decree by the presidential office.
–With assistance from Li Liu, Andrea Dudik, Volodymyr Verbyany and Xiao Zibang.
(Recasts with details from the call throughout, adds analyst from fourth paragraph.)
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