Volodymyr Zelensky and Xi Jinping hold phone talks

Both sides agreed that China would send a special representative to Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has held phone talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Zelensky himself shared on Twitter.

This was the first official conversation between the two leaders since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“I had a long and meaningful phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping. I believe that this call, as well as the appointment of Ukraine’s ambassador to China, will give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations,” Zelensky said.

Later in the day, he went into details about his conversation with the Chinese leader.

According to Zelensky, “particular attention was paid to the ways of possible cooperation to establish a just and sustainable peace for Ukraine” during the phone talks. They also discussed the ways to strengthen the partnership between Ukraine and China.

“No one wants peace more than the Ukrainian people. We are on our land and fighting for our future, exercising our inalienable right to self-defense. Peace must be just and sustainable, based on the principles of international law and respect for the UN Charter. There can be no peace at the expense of territorial compromises. The territorial integrity of Ukraine must be restored within the 1991 borders,” Zelensky said in a statement.

Hua Chunying, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, has also confirmed the conversation taking place. In his conversation with Zelensky, the Chinese president emphasised that China would continue “to facilitate talks for peace and make its efforts for early ceasefire and restoration of peace”.

China will also send a special representative to Ukraine “to have in-depth communication with all parties on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis”. The person chosen for the position is former Chinese Ambassador to Russia Li Hui, Xi Jinping added.

After the conversation, Zelensky appointed a Ukrainian ambassador to China for the first time in two years. The position went to Pavlo Riabikin, Minister Of Strategic Industries of Ukraine up till March 2023.

In the past, Zelensky invited Xi to Ukraine, Associated Press previously reported. “We are ready to see him here. I want to speak with him,” Zelensky said in an interview with AP.

On 21 March, official talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping were held in Moscow. Following the meeting between the heads of state, fourteen documents were signed, including one on plans about economic partnership up to 2030 and one on plans to deepen the partnership between the countries.

Xi Jinping stated at the time that China would continue to uphold an “objective and impartial position” on the “crisis” in Ukraine, actively promoting the need for a ceasefire and return to negotiations.