(Beijing) Chinese President Xi Jinping assured his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky that “ China has always been on the side of peace ” and called for “ negotiation ”, during their first telephone conversation since the start of the offensive in Ukraine, state television CCTV reported on Wednesday.
“ On the subject of the Ukrainian crisis, China has always been on the side of peace and its fundamental position is to promote a dialogue of peace ”, according to the channel.
“ Dialogue and negotiation ” are the “ only way out ” of the conflict with Russia, the leader further assured, according to CCTV.
For his part, the Ukrainian president said he had a “ long and significant ” interview with his Chinese counterpart, in a tweet confirmed by the Ukrainian presidency to AFP.
He also said he hoped for “a powerful impetus from the development of bilateral relations” between Kyiv and Beijing.
The conversation between the two heads of state lasted “almost an hour”, Mr. Zelensky’s spokesman, Serguiï Nykyforov, told AFP.
This is the first known exchange between the two men since the start of the war in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Their last call was in July 2021.
Ukraine’s president had wanted to talk to Xi for months in hopes of making China’s stance on the Russian invasion more sympathetic to Kyiv, but experts said Beijing was unresponsive to Ukraine’s proposals.
Volodymyr Zelensky had deemed it “ necessary ” last February to “ work ” with China to work towards a resolution of the conflict with Russia.
In March, he reiterated his wish to dialogue with his Chinese counterpart on this subject and said “waiting for a response” from him.
China announced on Wednesday that it would send a delegation to Ukraine to seek a “political settlement” to the conflict.
“The Chinese side will send a special representative of the Chinese government, responsible for Eurasia, to Ukraine and other countries to conduct in-depth exchanges with all parties towards a political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis,” the ministry said. Foreign Affairs at a press conference.
Beijing released a 12-point document in February outlining its position on the conflict in Ukraine. The initiative, sometimes seen as a peace plan, notably urges Moscow and Kyiv to hold talks.
The text also opposes any use of nuclear weapons and calls for respect for the territorial integrity of all countries – also implying that of Ukraine, part of whose territory is under Russian control.
Beijing did not recognize the integration of four territories of the Ukrainian Donbass into the Russian Federation in September and had not done so in 2014 when it annexed Crimea.
China, which has not publicly condemned the war in Ukraine, has sharply increased its political and economic cooperation with its Russian neighbor in recent months.
Turbulent during the Cold War, Beijing-Moscow relations have been significantly strengthened in recent decades to form a common front against the influence of the United States.
Xi Jinping traveled to Moscow a few weeks ago to reaffirm his partnership with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
During a visit to China in early April, French Head of State Emmanuel Macron urged the Chinese leader to “bring Russia to its senses” vis-Ã -vis Ukraine and urged him not to deliver weapons to Moscow.
