Chinese President Xi Jinping has looked to insert himself in the middle between Ukraine and Russia in their ongoing conflict.
He spoke with Ukrainian President Zelensky for the first time since the Russian invasion in February 2022. The Free Beacon reports that this was a meeting sought after by Ukrainian President Zelensky for some time, and it was the fulfillment of his wishes to have a chance to speak with the Chinese President.
Zelensky described the hours-long phone call as long and meaningful, according to reports. This might signal that he is at least somewhat open to the idea that China could act as a go-between regarding the conflict between his country and Russia.
Zelensky then had an afternoon address where he stated there was an opportunity to use China's political power to reinforce the principles and rules that peace should be built upon.
He continued by saying: Ukraine and China, like the absolute majority of the world, are equally interested in the strength of the sovereignty of nations and territorial integrity,
Zelensky reported that Xi supported a deal to export Ukrainian grain from its Black Sea ports. Russia had insisted that the pact would not be renewed after May 18 unless the United States and European allies agreed to remove sanctions against Russian grain and fertilizer exports. That seems like a non-starter with the West, so Ukraine will likely get its wish to have its grain exports moving through the Black Sea via the Chinese deal.
Xi visited Moscow last month, and he remains the most influential world leader not to have denounced the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This remains a thorn in the side of the West and all others opposed to the Russian invasion. However, Xi has told Zelensky that the Chinese should focus on peace talks between Ukraine and Russia. He insists that he believes that a ceasefire is possible.
Xi said: As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a responsible major country, we will neither sit idly by nor pour oil on fire, still less seek to profit from it,
The White House has encouraged the call, but they say it is too early to tell what might come of this call. They say that they hope that peace is on the table, but much is still unclear about where things are going in the world with this.
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