Xi and Zelenskyy Hold First Call Since War Began

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Facts

  • The leaders of China and Ukraine, Xi Jinping and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Wednesday had their first known phone call since Russia invaded Ukraine more than 14 months ago.1
  • Zelenskyy, who for months has expressed an interest in speaking with Xi, said he had an hour-long, "meaningful phone call" with the Chinese leader. He said: "We discussed a full range of topical issues of bilateral relations. Particular attention was paid to the ways of possible cooperation to establish a just and sustainable peace for Ukraine."2
  • In spite of what appeared to be the biggest breakthrough for a possible peace settlement in months, Zelenskyy nonetheless insisted Ukraine would not give up on lost territory. "There can be no peace at the expense of territorial compromises. The territorial integrity of Ukraine must be restored within the 1991 borders," Zelenskyy said.3
  • Meanwhile, a Chinese readout of the call said: "On the Ukraine crisis, China always stands on the side of peace. Its core stance is to facilitate talks for peace. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a responsible major country, China would not sit idly by, nor would it add oil to the fire, still less exploit the situation for self gains."4
  • In a subsequent briefing, China’s Foreign Ministry said it would send envoy Li Hui — China's former ambassador to Russia from 2009 to 2019 — to Ukraine and other countries, to help conduct "in-depth communication" with all parties to achieve a political settlement. The statement did not explicitly outline whether Li would travel to Russia.2
  • Later in the day, White House national security spokesman John Kirby called the development "a good thing," but added: "whether that’s going to lead to some sort of meaningful peace movement, or plan, or proposal, I just don't think we know that right now."5
  • Meanwhile, on Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "We are ready to welcome anything that could hasten the end of the conflict in Ukraine and Russia achieving all the goals it has set itself. As for the fact that they communicated, that is a sovereign matter for each of these countries and a question of their bilateral dialogue."6

Sources: 1PBS NewsHour, 2CNN, 3Guardian, 4NBC, 5MSN, and 6The Straits Times.

Narratives

  • Pro-China narrative, as provided by Global Times. In contrast to the actions of Western countries — which have added fuel to the fire and dragged out this war by continually supplying Ukraine with weapons — China's desire to remain impartial while seeking to promote a just peace settlement demonstrates good governance. Dialogue and negotiations are the only way to end this tragedy, and China hopes that all parties meaningfully engage in this process to end the war.
  • Anti-China narrative, as provided by Guardian. Despite China's claims of impartiality, it has only bolstered its ties with Russia throughout this conflict. This ploy of pretending to care about a peace settlement gives China cover while it continues to pursue its relationship with Moscow. This does not reflect serious efforts to bring the war to a close.

Predictions