The Ukrainian president said he had a “long and significant” exchange with his Chinese counterpart, the first contact between the two men since February 2022.
A first contact. This Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky met directly, a first since the start of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022.
Volodymyr Zelensky said he had a “long and meaningful” meeting with the Chinese head of state. “I had a long and meaningful phone conversation with the Chinese president,” he tweeted.
He also said he hoped for “a powerful thrust in the development of bilateral relations” between Kyiv and Beijing.
The call for Chinese dialogue
For its part, Chinese state television CCTV said that Xi Jinping had told his Ukrainian counterpart that “negotiation” was the only way out of the conflict.
“Xi Jinping had a phone call with Ukrainian President Zelensky” and told him that “dialogue and negotiation” are the “only way out” of the conflict with Russia, the channel said.
This exchange is therefore a first since the beginning of the conflict. In early April, Xi Jinping said he was “ready” to call Volodymyr Zelensky. The Chinese statesman, who was received with great fanfare in Moscow in March, is close to Moscow and Vladimir Putin, in a strategic alliance against the United States.
China on the side of “peace”
Some observers feared even after the state visit to Russia that Xi Jinping would take the plunge of military support for Russia. In early April, from China, Emmanuel Macron called on Xi Jinping to “bring Russia to its senses”.
This Wednesday, Xi Jinping added that “China has always been on the side of peace”.
“On the topic of the Ukraine crisis, China has always been on the side of peace, and its fundamental position is to promote peace dialogue,” according to CCTV.
