Zelensky and Xi Jinping Meeting: Explained
As China seeks to gain acceptance as a global peacemaker, it took its first step in the Ukraine war by reaching out to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on April 26, 2023. Despite President Zelensky’s attempts to have a conversation with Xi Jinping for over a year, they had not previously spoken. When they finally connected over the telephone, they addressed issues surrounding the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and the relationship between their nations. Although Beijing and Russia have close ties, Russia was never mentioned during the conversation. Leader Xi Jinping spoke of promoting peace between the two countries at war.
Many countries, including the United States, welcomed Xi Jinping’s call for peace. President Zelensky expressed that it was a “long and meaningful phone call.” The purpose of the call was to help establish peace in Ukraine; China explained that they “always stood on the side of peace.” Weeks prior to his conversation with President Zelensky, Xi Jinping met with Vladimir Putin in Russia. During this visit, the two leaders expressed alignment in their views as both wanted to end the conflict in Ukraine. A month earlier, China published its twelve point proposal on how to bring about peace in Ukraine. The paper included points such as “respecting the sovereignty of all countries. . . abandoning the Cold War mentality. . . stopping unilateral sanctions.” Although these statements were suggested to be helpful for Ukraine, others have speculated a more self-serving agenda in which China is referring to its interest in Taiwan. China’s true intentions have also been questioned as trade grows between Russia and China.
It is unlikely that China’s call will lead to any peace settlements as Russia has not shown any indication of withdrawing its forces and President Zelensky has stated that “there can be no peace at the expense of territorial compromises.” As the war continues, other groups are taking actions behind the scenes in an effort to bring both parties to the negotiating table. Most recently, the Vatican stated that it had undertaken a mission to end the conflict. However, as long as both countries believe that they are capable of winning, it is not likely that there will be any resolution.
by MADELEINE HODGES