Zelensky "Ready to Talk with Xi Jinping... Invites to Ukraine" (Update)

"Russia Had No Success Even After Meeting with Xi Jinping"
"Russia Cannot Win Without US Support"

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on the 28th (local time) that he would invite Chinese President Xi Jinping, who recently visited Russia, to Ukraine.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In an interview with the Associated Press on the same day, President Zelensky said, "We are ready to meet President Xi here."

He explained, "I want to talk with President Xi. I tried to make contact before the full-scale war broke out, but I have not been able to contact him for over a year."

Earlier, President Xi visited Russia as his first foreign trip after securing a third term and met with President Vladimir Putin on the 20th. China emphasized 'mediation' as the purpose of the visit, but the West criticized China for diplomatically turning a blind eye to Russia's crimes against humanity in the war. However, contrary to initial concerns that China might provide weapons support to Russia, President Xi's visit ended without any announcements. Subsequently, President Putin announced plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, a close ally.

President Zelensky evaluated, "What does that mean? It means that the visit was not good for Russia." Analysts interpret that since President Putin did not receive promises of weapons support from China, he played the Belarus tactical nuclear deployment card to divert attention elsewhere.

According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), President Xi plans to hold a video conference with President Zelensky following his meeting with President Putin. Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to the Ukrainian president, recently explained in a media interview that talks between President Zelensky and President Xi are underway but have not materialized due to China’s unsettled position.

President Zelensky also emphasized that Ukraine needs full support from the United States to win the war.

He stated, "There is concern that the war could be affected by shifts in political power in Washington. The United States also understands well that if they do not help us, we will not win."

This underscores his position that the U.S. government’s support policy toward Ukraine should not change depending on the outcome of the 2024 U.S. presidential election.