Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says Kyiv wants to organize a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping as war-torn Ukraine plans a leaders' summit to advance its peace plan.
Source. Bloоmberg reports.
Kuleba, while attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, said the government insists on establishing a direct channel of communication between Xi Jinping and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"There are things they can talk about," Kuleba said in an interview with Bloomberg Television on Thursday. Zelensky's peace formula is "a way to restore a long-term just peace in Ukraine," – he emphasized.
China has maintained its ties with Russia, refusing to condemn Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Xi and Zelenskiy have spoken only once in the nearly two years since the invasion began, in April 2023, when Xi said negotiations were "the only viable way to resolve the crisis in Ukraine."
On Monday, Zelenskiy unveiled plans for a high-level meeting in Switzerland later this year to promote Ukraine's initiative to push for the full withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory.
Security officials from more than 80 countries met in Davos on Sunday to discuss the plan, but the meeting ended without a clear plan of action.
China did not attend the meeting, although Premier Li Keqiang was present in Davos. Zelenskyy, who met with the Swiss president shortly after Li held a bilateral meeting at the same location near Bern, later said he did not meet with him for protocol reasons – as president, he should meet with Xi, and the head of government should meet with the prime minister.
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, who co-chaired the meeting in Ukraine on Sunday, said the meeting was likely the last in the current format, and the next steps remain unclear. Some countries see the Ukraine-initiated summit as premature, while others want to engage Russia immediately.
Zelenskyy told the Davos forum that helping Kyiv is an investment in the West's security.
Kuleba echoed Zelenskiy's thesis.
"Whatever the price of supporting Ukraine today, the price of fixing the ruin in the world if Ukraine loses will be much higher," Kuleba told Bloomberg.
"We have received assurances that American aid is on the way," Kuleba said. – "Congress is not discussing aid to Ukraine as such, there is no doubt that Ukraine should be helped.
Background. The day before, Politico wrote that the Chinese prime minister refused to meet with Zelenskiy in Davos.