China-Ukraine Diplomats’ Call Signals Xi May Finally Speak With Zelenskiy

(Bloomberg) -- A call between top diplomats from China and Ukraine sends a fresh signal that President Xi Jinping could soon speak with Volodymyr Zelenskiy for the first time since Russia's invasion more than a month ago. 

Foreign Minster Wang Yi reiterated China's desire for a cease-fire in talks Monday with Ukraine counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, their first such exchange since March 1, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. The conversation came days after European leaders urged Xi to make greater efforts to halt the attack initiated by his close diplomatic partner, Vladmir Putin. 

Wang noted that Xi had “comprehensively expounded” on the need for dialogue and peace talks, but the Chinese diplomat made no new commitments toward mediating the conflict. “China does not seek geopolitical interests, nor will it watch the event from a safe distance while sitting idle, or add fuel to the fire,” Wang said.

Following Xi's video summit on Friday with European Union leaders, a senior Chinese Foreign Ministry official said a call between the Chinese and Ukrainian leaders has “always been on the agenda.” Top Chinese diplomats often speak with their counterparts ahead of Xi's calls with foreign leaders, although Wang's previous discussion with Kuleba resulted in no such exchange.

China has come under pressure from the U.S. and others to take a clear line against the invasion, as its diplomats and state media play down civilian casualties and cast Putin as a victim of NATO expansion. While Xi has spoken to key players in the dispute including Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden, he has yet to have a conversation with Zelenskiy. 

Zelenskiy told Fox News on Friday that Ukraine wanted China among the security guarantors for any deal. Close ties between Beijing and Moscow make China an important player in ensuring a peace deal holds. 

China has continued to pass up opportunities to publicly criticize Russia's violation of Ukraine's sovereignty, which is guaranteed by United Nations principles often cited by Beijing elsewhere. Chinese accounts of Wang's latest call with Kuleba made no allusion to the alleged atrocities revealed in recent days by the withdrawal of Russian forces from the northern suburbs of Kyiv. Russia has denied that its forces are targeting civilians.

Kuleba, however, suggested that civilian casualties were among the topics discussed, saying in a tweet that he was “grateful to my Chinese counterpart” for expressing solidarity with the victims. “We both share the conviction that ending the war against Ukraine serves common interests of peace, global food security, and international trade,” Kuleba said. 

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