Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has had a "long and meaningful" telephone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping, marking the first time the two leaders have spoken since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year. Both Ukrainian and Chinese media confirmed the call took place.
The phone call comes after Beijing released a peace proposal in February calling for a cease-fire but faced criticism for appearing to cozy up to Russia and refusing to condemn the war. During their conversation, President Xi reassured that China "always stood on the side of peace."
Last month, President Xi paid a two-day state visit to Russia where he proposed a 12-point peace plan which remained vague on specific details but insisted that China was on the right side of history. Just days after this visit, President Zelensky invited his Chinese counterpart to Kyiv for further talks aimed at resolving the ongoing conflict.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV quoted President Xi as saying during this recent phone call that China would "neither watch the fire from other side nor add fuel to it; let alone take advantage of crisis for profit." This statement hinted at Beijing's increasing willingness to act as mediator in solving disputes around world affairs.
In response to these developments, China announced plans to send special representatives into Ukraine for talks involving all parties engaged in crisis resolution efforts. According