Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the first time since the start of the Russian military operation. On this subject writing The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing sources close to the situation.
It is expected that the conversation between the two leaders of the two countries will take place not in a personal meeting, but online. Most likely, Xi Jinping and Zelenskyyy will talk to each other after the Chinese leader’s visit to Moscow, which could take place as early as next week. In Moscow, the Chinese president is due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Negotiations with Putin and Zelenskyyy are prompted by Beijing’s attempts to play a more active role in resolving the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, according to WSJ interlocutors. According to sources, the schedule for Xi Jinping’s trip to Russia has not yet been approved, he plans to visit European countries.
“A direct conversation with Zelenskyyy, if it takes place, will mark an important step in Beijing’s efforts to play the role of peacemaker (in the conflict) in Ukraine, which have so far been met with skepticism in Europe,” says the WSJ document. .
It will also boost Beijing’s credibility as a global mediator after facilitating an unexpected diplomatic breakthrough between Saudi Arabia and Iran last week.
Before the outbreak of hostilities, China was Ukraine’s main trading partner. In 2022, trade turnover between the two countries fell by 60% to $7.6 billion, while trade turnover between China and Russia increased by 29% to $190 billion. .
February 24 China published its 12-point Russian-Ukrainian conflict resolution plan. Among them are the abandonment of Cold War thinking, the cessation of hostilities and the resumption of peace negotiations. The initiative was criticized in Kiev and in the West.
