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Kabul: Chinese President Xi Jinping has told his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, the only way to end the war in Ukraine is negotiation between Kiev and Moscow.
According to a report by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on Wednesday, “Xi Jinping had a phone call with Ukrainian President Zelensky,” during which he said “talks and negotiation” were the “only way out” of the war and that “there is no winner in a nuclear war.”
The phone conversation was the first such contact between the two sides since the war began.
“On the issue of the Ukraine crisis, China has always stood on the side of peace and its core position is to promote peace talks,” the report quoted Xi as saying. “When dealing with the nuclear issue, all parties concerned should remain calm and restrained, truly focus on the future and destiny of themselves and all mankind, and jointly manage and control the crisis.”
The CCTV also reported that Beijing sought to send an envoy to Ukraine and other countries to help conduct “in-depth communication” with all parties for “a political settlement” to the crisis.
In a briefing on Wednesday, China’s Foreign Ministry said its envoy to Kiev would be Li Hui, Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs. Li served as the Chinese Ambassador to Russia from 2009 to 2019.
Russia launched what it calls the “special military operation” in Ukraine in February 2022, blaming NATO’s eastward expansion for the war. Moscow views the military alliance’s efforts to make Ukraine a member and to deploy missiles close to its borders as a direct threat to Russian territory.
