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Zelensky Invites Chinese President, Xi Jinping To Ukraine After Russia’s Visit

Zelensky Invites Chinese President, Xi Jinping To Ukraine After Russia’s Visit
March 29, 2023

The Ukrainian president also stated that he spoke with Xi prior to Russia's full-scale invasion, but the two leaders had not communicated for more than a year.

Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is inviting Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit his country.

Zelensky made this known in an interview with the Associated Press published on Wednesday.

"We are ready to see him here," Zelensky told the AP. "I want to speak with him."

The Ukrainian president also stated that he spoke with Xi prior to Russia's full-scale invasion, but the two leaders had not communicated for more than a year.

Earlier, Zelensky told Japan News that he sent "straight messages" through diplomatic channels expressing his desire to speak with China's Xi but received no response.

On February 24, Ukraine's president expressed his desire to meet with Xi, amid reports of Xi's plans to visit Moscow for a meeting with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, which the China leader later did.

In an AP interview, Zelensky suggested that Putin's recent threat to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus was intended to divert attention away from the lack of guarantees he received from Beijing.

"What does it mean? It means the visit was not good for Russia," said Zelensky.

Shortly after Xi's meeting with Putin in Moscow, US President Joe Biden stated that, despite indications that China was considering increasing military support for Russia, the country had not yet taken any action.

China has so far refused to condemn Russia's aggression against Ukraine and annexation of Ukrainian territories, which contradicts emphasis on international law and sovereignty.

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