Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky hasn't had a phone call with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but that changed Wednesday with a conversation that Zelensky describes as "long and meaningful." Per the Guardian, aides say the call on the Telegram app between Zelensky and Xi lasted about an hour, and Zelensky notes the two talked about "possible cooperation to reach a fair and sustainable peace" regarding the Russian-driven war. Zelensky noted in a tweet afterward that Ukraine will also be appointing an ambassador to China that would also "give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations." Xi, for his part, vowed to send a delegation to Ukraine to get peace talks going that might help lead to a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
However, the Chinese leader also suggested that his country still sought to remain neutral in its involvement, noting that China "will neither watch the fire from afar, nor add fuel to the flames, let alone exploit the situation for profit," per the Chinese readout from the call. The Washington Post describes that remark as "an apparent swipe at the United States," as "nationalist Chinese commentators often accuse American arms dealers of profiteering from the war in Ukraine." Xi was also careful during the call to not use the word "war" (except for one instance when he referred to "nuclear war"): Instead, he repeatedly referred to what's going on within Ukraine's borders as a "crisis," per the Guardian.
The Post notes that China could be a "possible game changer" in the conflict, and some European Union nations, including France, have been imploring Xi to get more involved, as it has more influence over Russia than most other nations. Xi visited Russian President Vladimir Putin last month, and Zelensky had been trying to get the former to meet with him even before that trip to Moscow. One thing that won't be happening, whether China enters the picture more or not, per Zelensky: giving up on any lost Ukrainian territory. "The territorial integrity of Ukraine must be restored within the 1991 borders," he said during his call with Xi, according to readout cited by the Guardian. As for Russia's take on the phone call, that country's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday, "We note the readiness of the Chinese side to make efforts to establish a negotiation process." (More Volodymyr Zelensky stories.)
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