May 24, 2024
China’s Xi, Ukraine’s Zelenskyy hold long-anticipated call | CBC News

China’s Xi, Ukraine’s Zelenskyy hold long-anticipated call | CBC News

World

Chinese leader Xi Jinping appealed for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in a phone call Wednesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to Chinese state media.

Chinese government to send ‘special representative’ to Ukraine for talks

A man in a dark navy suit and blue tie is flanked by two men wearing masks.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, seen here in a November 2022 photo, held talks Wednesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images)

Chinese leader Xi Jinping appealed for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in a phone call Wednesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, warning “there is no winner in a nuclear war,” state media said, in a long-anticipated conversation after Beijing said it wanted to act as peace mediator.

Xi’s government will send a “special representative” to Ukraine for talks about a possible “political settlement,” said a government statement reported by state TV.

China has tried to appear neutral in the war but refused to criticize Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a joint statement before the February 2020 invasion saying their governments had a “no-limits friendship.”

Xi’s government released a peace proposal in February and called for a ceasefire and talks.

“Negotiation is the only viable way out,” state TV said in a report on Xi’s comments to Zelenskyy.

“There is no winner in a nuclear war,” the report said. “All parties concerned should remain calm and restrained in dealing with the nuclear issue and truly look at the future and destiny of themselves and humanity as a whole and work together to manage the crisis.”

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