Spanish PM urges Chinese leader to talk to Zelensky

On Friday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and learn first-hand about the peace formula Kiev is offering to help end the invasion. Russian from Ukraine.Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, Sanchez said he told Xi, who visited Moscow on March 20-21, that Spain supports Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s peace proposals. Among them is the demand to restore the status quo on the territory of Ukraine, which existed before the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014.”I believe this is a plan that lays the foundation for a lasting peace in Ukraine and is in full alignment with the United Nations Charter and its principles, which have been violated by (Russian President Vladimir ) Putin and his invasion,” he added. said the Spanish leader.”I raised our concerns about the illegal invasion of Ukraine,” Sanchez said, adding that he had urged Xi to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to learn more about the peace plan. Kiev.Last month, Beijing presented its own 12-point document on a political solution to the war in Ukraine, which includes a comprehensive ceasefire.However, the document has also caused confusion among some EU officials due to China’s failure to identify Russia as the aggressor in the dispute.Pedro Sanchez praised two aspects of China’s position on Thursday: “its total and categorical rejection not only of the use, but even of the threat of use, of nuclear weapons” and its respect for the territorial integrity of Ukraine.Spain’s prime minister declined to say what Xi had to say about it. The Kremlin has previously said Ukraine must accept the loss of Crimea and four other regions in the south and east of the country.Xi called for an end to the ‘Cold War mentality’ and ‘extreme’ sanctions pressure, although he did not name Russia, according to a report of the meeting by China’s state broadcaster CCTV.Spain, a NATO member whose foreign and security policy is closely linked to that of the United States, is a staunch ally of Ukraine. In July, she assumes the presidency of the Council of the European Union, which includes the bloc’s 27 national governments.