Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed this Friday that he plans to meet with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, recalling that China respects “the territorial integrity” of countries and should “do everything possible to remove Russia from Ukraine”.
“First of all, I have plans to meet Xi Jinping”underlined Zelensky at a press conference with foreign journalists in Kiev on the one year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The official viewed the meeting as “positive” for both countries and “for the security of the world,” the Efe agency said.
Zelensky added that “China respects the territorial integrity of the countries” and that “therefore it should do everything possible to remove Russia” from Ukrainian territory.
The Ukrainian head of state also expressed hope that China will not send weapons to Russia, a decision the United States believes Beijing is considering to ensure it works to avoid this reality.
Without giving details of when or where this meeting could take place, Zelensky reiterated the “formula for peace” presented by Ukraine, which envisages a cessation of hostilities that would entail a Russian withdrawal and that requires compliance with the principles of the UN Charter.
Beijing unveiled a 12-point plan for a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.
In the document, China calls for a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia and states that dialogue is the only way to reach a viable solution to the conflict.
The first point emphasizes the importance of “respecting the sovereignty of all countries”, in reference to Ukraine.
The plan, released by China’s foreign ministry, also calls for an end to Western sanctions against Russia, measures to ensure the safety of nuclear facilities, the establishment of humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians, and actions to curb the export of grains, after supply disruptions pushed prices up worldwide.
Over the past year, China has avoided condemning Russia for its military campaign in Ukraine, accusing NATO and the United States of fomenting this conflict and “disregarding Moscow’s legitimate security concerns”.
The Ukrainian president explained that when addressing countries such as China or India – which abstained from voting at the UN this Thursday on a resolution tabled by Kiev condemning Russia’s war on Ukraine – he intends to use their influence used to effect the withdrawal. of Russian troops from its territory.
Zelensky is also trying to get countries in Africa and Latin America, which have so far avoided openly supporting Ukraine, to join these efforts.
The military offensive launched by Russia in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 has so far led to the flight of more than 14 million people – 6.5 million internally displaced persons and more than eight million to European countries – according to the most recent data from the UN. which classifies this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
At the moment, at least 18 million Ukrainians need humanitarian aid and 9.3 million people need food aid and shelter.
The Russian invasion – justified by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russian security – was condemned by the international community at large, which responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and Russia political and economic sanctions.
The UN presented 8,006 civilian casualties and 13,287 wounded as confirmed since the start of the war, exactly one year ago, underlining that these numbers are far below the real ones.
Source: DN
