White House says Xi-Zelensky talks would be a 'good thing'

White House says Xi-Zelensky talks would be a 'good thing'
by AFP Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) March 16, 2023

The White House said Thursday that talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Chinese leader Xi Jinping would be a "good thing," but warned Beijing against taking a "one-sided" view of the conflict.

"We think it would be a very good thing if the two of them talk," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters when asked about a Wall Street Journal report that the Ukrainian leader is set to talk with Xi for the first time since Chinese-ally Russia invaded.

"We support and have supported" contact, Kirby said. But he cautioned against a Chinese push for a ceasefire in Ukraine, saying it would simply help Russian aggression.

There has been no confirmation of a call to Zelensky by Xi. However, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba talked by phone Thursday.

Xi is also reported to be preparing a trip to Moscow to speak with his ally President Vladimir Putin.

Kirby said the United States has not confirmed that a Putin-Xi summit will take place but urged Beijing to avoid seeking a resolution to the war that would "reflect only the Russian perspective."

He said China's highlighting of the need for a ceasefire "sounds perfectly reasonable," but would effectively "ratify Russia's conquest."

"It would, in effect, recognize Russia's gains" and "constitute another, continued violation of the UN Charter," he said.

Russian forces occupying swaths of Ukraine are currently under intense pressure from Western-armed Ukrainian troops.

A ceasefire would allow Moscow to "further entrench its positions in Ukraine, to rebuild their forces... and retrain them so that they can restart attacks at a time of their choosing," Kirby said.

A durable peace "can't be one-sided and it has to absolutely include and be informed by Ukrainian perspectives and Ukrainian decisions," he said.

China urges Ukraine, Russia to restart peace talks 'as soon as possible'
Beijing (AFP) March 16, 2023 - China's foreign minister on Thursday urged Kyiv and Moscow to restart peace talks "as soon as possible", while Kyiv said the call also raised the importance of Ukraine's territorial integrity.

Beijing "hopes that all parties will keep calm, exercise restraint, resume peace talks as soon as possible and return to the track of political settlement", Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang told his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in a phone call.

The call was the first official talks between the pair since the Chinese foreign minister took office in December.

"China is concerned that the crisis could escalate and get out of control," Qin said.

"China hopes that Ukraine and Russia retain hope for dialogue and negotiation," he added.

China has been criticised by Western countries for failing to condemn Moscow's invasion of its European neighbour, and last month strongly denied US claims that it was mulling arms shipments to support Russia's war.

Kuleba summed up the ministers' call on Twitter, saying it included discussion of "the significance of the principle of territorial integrity", without giving details.

Beijing last month published a position paper on Moscow's war in Ukraine, calling for dialogue and seeking to position itself as a neutral mediator.

Qin reiterated Thursday his support for that proposal, saying Beijing had "upheld an objective and just position on the Ukrainian issue, committed itself to promoting peace talks and called on the international community to create conditions for peace talks."

Kuleba said that while speaking to Qin, he underscored the importance of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's proposals "for ending the aggression and restoring just peace in Ukraine".