Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he had a “long and meaningful” telephone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the first chat between the two leaders since Russia launched its full-scale invasion last year. Chinese media also confirmed the conversation on Wednesday, quoting the Chinese leader as saying Beijing has “always stood on the side of peace.” The country says it will send a delegation to Ukraine in the hopes of reaching a “political settlement” in the war. Beijing released a peace proposal in February calling for a cease-fire but has been criticized for appearing to cozy up to Russia and refusing to condemn the war. After their phone conversation, Zelensky also confirmed he had appointed a new ambassador to China, naming Pavlo Riabikin, a former ambassador to Denmark.
Провів тривалу змістовну телефонну розмову з Головою 🇨🇳 Сі Цзіньпіном. Вірю, що вона, а також призначення Посла України в Китаї дасть потужний поштовх розвитку наших двосторонніх відносин.
