After visiting Moscow, the Chinese President will speak to Zelensky.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is planning to hold an online meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky next week, following his visit to Moscow and meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The US newspaper “The Wall Street Journal” reported that the Chinese President will speak with his Ukrainian counterpart after his visit to Moscow.
The virtual meeting between the Chinese and Ukrainian leaders will be the first since the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. This reflects China’s efforts to play a more active role in mediating an end to the war, according to the source. The plans for the Chinese president’s visit to Moscow come at a time when China has offered to mediate peace in Ukraine, an effort that has been met with skepticism from the West given China’s diplomatic support for Russia.
The virtual meeting between the Chinese and Ukrainian leaders will be the first since the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. The Chinese move reflects Beijing’s efforts to play a more active role in mediating an end to the war, according to the source.
On January 30th, the Russian news agency TASS reported that Putin invited Xi to visit Moscow in the spring. Last month, the Wall Street Journal reported that the visit could take place in April or early May.
In late February, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a 12-point proposal for achieving peace in Ukraine to coincide with the first anniversary of the war’s outbreak, which shows no signs of ending anytime soon.
The Chinese announcement focuses on a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv and starting peace talks between the two sides to end the war, which broke out on February 24, 2022. In response, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that “Russia appreciates China’s efforts” to put an end to the conflict in Ukraine.
On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “welcomed some” elements of the Chinese proposal but said that “the state in which the war is taking place should be the one to launch a peace plan.”
In contrast, US President Joe Biden criticized the peace plan proposed by China, adding that “the idea that China is negotiating the outcome of the war in Ukraine is not rational.”