China to send special envoy to Ukraine after Xi Jinping holds phone call with Volodymyr Zelensky
- China has always stood ‘on the side of peace’, Xi tells Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during hour-long call
- Zelensky, who initiated the call, has described it as ‘long and meaningful’
In the nearly hour-long phone call, Xi told Zelensky that “talks and negotiation” were the “only way out” of the war between Russia and Ukraine, which has already led to direct casualties of more than 350,000 soldiers in all.
Xi stressed that China has always stood “on the side of peace”, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
Zelensky, who initiated the call, described it as “long and meaningful” and said it would “give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations”, according to a message posted on Twitter.
Xi told Zelensky that China will send a delegation headed by Li Hui, Beijing’s special representative on Eurasian Affairs, as special envoy to Kyiv and “other countries”.
The envoy will help conduct “in-depth communication” with all parties involved to “find a political settlement to the Ukraine crisis”, he said.
