Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for Russia-Ukraine negotiations in a phone call on Wednesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, warning that «there is no winner in a nuclear war,» state media said, in a long-awaited conversation after that Beijing said it wanted to act as a peace broker.
Xi’s government will send a «special representative» to Ukraine to discuss a possible «political agreement,» said a government statement reported on state television.
China has tried to appear neutral in the war but has refused to criticize Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a joint statement ahead of the February 2020 invasion saying their governments had «boundless friendship.»
Xi’s government released a peace proposal in February, calling for a ceasefire and talks.
«Negotiation is the only viable way out,» state television said in a report on Xi’s comments to Zelenskyy.
«There is no winner in a nuclear war,» the report said. «All parties involved should keep calm and restraint in dealing with the nuclear issue and truly look to the future and fate of themselves and humanity as a whole and work together to manage the crisis.»