China's Leader to Talk to Zelenskyy "When Conditions Are Right" – von Der Leyen

Thursday, 6 April 2023

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, following the negotiations with the Chinese leader Xi Jinping, has stated that she had mentioned the negotiations with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"I encouraged President Xi to reach out to President Zelenskyy. I know from phone calls that President Zelenskyy asked for it publicly," she said at a briefing on Thursday.

"It was interesting to hear that President Xi reiterated his willingness to speak when conditions and time are right. I think this is a positive element," she added.

Von der Leyen also said that during negotiations with the leader of the People's Republic of China, she raised the issue of a full-scale war in Ukraine, confirming her support for the Ukrainian "peace plan" and Beijing's statements about the inadmissibility of nuclear threats.

"We also count on China not to provide any military equipment directly or indirectly to Russia. We all know arming an aggressor would be against international law and would significantly harm our relationship," the official said.

In early March, The Wall Street Journal reported that Chinese leader Xi Jinping had planned to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Ukr) for the first time since the full-scale war.

It was supposed to happen after Xi's visit to Moscow on March 20-22, but it has not.

Washington welcomed (Ukr) a possible conversation between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying it would potentially bring more balance and perspective to China's approach.

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