President Zelensky Invites Xi Jinping To Ukraine, Kremlin: We Know China's Neutral Position

Dmitry Peskov. (Wikimedia Commons/have a dream

JAKARTA - The Kremlin said on Wednesday it was not Russia's authority to advise Chinese leader Xi Jinping whether he should visit Ukraine or not.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has conveyed an invitation to Chinese leaders to visit his country.

"We know China's balanced position, we really appreciate it and we believe the Chinese leader made his own decisions regarding the feasibility of certain contacts," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"We have no right to provide any advice here," Peskov added.

Xi's leader visited President Putin in Moscow last week. The two issued a joint statement referring to China's 12 points of proposal, for dialogue and a ceasefire in the Ukraine war.

The Chinese plan received a one-on-one response from Washington, given Beijing's refusal to condemn the Russian invasion.

The United States said a ceasefire would now allow Russia to defend its territory of Ukraine, giving its troops time to reunite.

As previously reported, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky invited Chinese leader Xi Jinping to visit his country, considering he is one of the important and strategic leaders who has not visited the war-torn country.

"We are ready to meet him here. I want to talk to him. I had contact with him before the full-scale war. But over the past year, more than a year, I haven't done it," President Zelensky said in an interview with The Associated Press.

When asked whether Xi's leader would accept an invitation from President Zelensky, or whether the invitation had been officially extended, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said he had no information to provide.

However, he said Beijing maintains "communication with all relevant parties, including Ukraine."

It is known, Ukraine has welcomed China's diplomatic involvement. But President Zelensky said he would only consider resolving the peace after Russian troops left Ukrainian territory.