EU Head Says Chinese Leader Xi Jinping Will Call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky

JAKARTA - Chinese leader Xi Jinping expressed his willingness to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, head of the European Union said on Thursday, after French President Emmanuel Macron urged Beijing to speak well with Russia about the war in Ukraine.

European Union head Ursula von der Leyen and President Macron met with Xi Leaders in Beijing. President Macron said the West should involve China to help end the crisis and prevent "disreparing" tensions that could break global forces into warring blocks.

Xi's leader, who has attempted to position China as a potential mediator in the conflict, is considered by the West to be more of Russia's side, responding by saying he hopes Moscow and Kyiv can hold peace negotiations as soon as possible.

"It is very interesting to hear that President Xi reiterated his willingness to speak" with Zelensky, said von der Leyen, as reported by Reuters on April 6.

"Xi said that conversations can occur when "conditions and timing are right," he added, regarding the two conditions that allow the conversation to occur.

However, Xi's leader did not mention the possibility of a conversation with President Zelensky in his own comments after the meeting.

President Zelensky is known to have repeatedly asked Xi Leaders to meet him, including after the Chinese leader visited Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last month.

Meanwhile, a French diplomatic source told Reuters that Xi's leader was "ready" to hold talks with President Zelensky.

"Russian aggression in Ukraine has dealt a blow to (international) stability," President Macron told Xi's leader, at the start of their bilateral meeting.

"I know I can count on you to bring Russia back to common sense and everyone goes back to the negotiating table."

Beijing's reputation grew rapidly in March, when it brokered an agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia to continue relations after years of hostilities that sparked insecurity in the Gulf.

China has also proposed 12 points of the peace plan for the Ukraine crisis, asking both sides to agree to a gradual de-escalation that leads to a comprehensive ceasefire.

China and the EU have the duty to uphold and promote the rules-based international order.Starting with the end of the Russian invasion and withdrawal of its troops. pic.twitter.com/7NtKMy6FvO

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 6, 2023