JAKARTA - 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, as reported March 29.
China, which is economically aligned and politically in favor of Russia for decades, has so far been neutral despite not condemning the invasion carried out by Moscow.
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 that Xi's leader visited President Putin in Russia last week, raising concerns about China's support for supplying weapons to Moscow, although until the visit was over there was no such announcement.
A few days later, the Russian president announced that he would deploy tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, which is next door to Russia and push the Kremlin's nuclear stockpile closer to NATO.
President Zelensky suspected that President Putin's move was intended to distract from the lack of guarantees he received from China.
"What does that mean? That means the visit was not good for Russia," President Zelensky speculated.
It is known that Xi's leader has not spoken to President Zelensky since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year. Not long ago, China published a 12-point plan for a "political resolution over the Ukraine crisis" last month. China's proposal includes calls for a de-escalation and ceasefire in Ukraine.
However, the United States looks down on the proposal, considering China has refused to condemn Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
The United States said the ceasefire would now lock up Russia's territorial gains and give Russian troops more time to reorganize its power.
Ukraine itself welcomes China's diplomatic involvement, but President Zelensky said he would only consider resolving the peace after Russian troops left Ukrainian territory.
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