Zelenskyy seeks direct talks with Xi Jinping, urges China to isolate Russia economically

Amid the ongoing war between Moscow and Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sought to speak directly to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in order to convince Moscow to end the relentless aggression. In an online interview with South China Morning Post, the Ukrainian head urged Beijing to use its political and economical power to bring the battle to a stop.

"It’s a very powerful state. It’s a powerful economy … So it can politically, and economically influence Russia. And China is also a permanent member of the UN Security Council," Zelenskyy told the Chinese media. 

Further, he urged the Chinese leader to isolate Russia both economically and politically. He recalled his last meeting with Jinping and appealed to his counterpart to talk directly over the current crisis. "Since the beginning of the large-scale aggression on February 24, we have asked officially for a conversation, but we haven’t had any conversation with China even though I believe that would be helpful," he added. Zelenskyy also appealed to Jinping to take a different approach to the conflict and added, "he had always wanted the relationship between Ukraine and China to be reinforced and to be developed every year".

Zelenskyy urged China to isolate Russia economically and politically

Later, he mentioned the last visit of the Chinese leader to Ukraine where Zelenskyy recalled how he warmly welcomed Jinping and discussed their views on future projects. During the interview, he underscored why the Chinese leader maintained a "balance" in terms of dealing with Russia and their economic policy. "The Russians are the invaders … this is a war on our territory, they came to invade. China, as a big and powerful country, could come down and sort of put the Russian Federation in a certain place," he stressed. "Of course, I would really like China to review its attitude towards the Russian Federation," he added. 

Earlier on Wednesday, Zelenskyy, while addressing Australian university students virtually, said China must not help Russia in its war against its homeland and remain at least neutral. The war-embattled President said he would prefer Beijing join countries including the United States and Australia that have condemned the Russian invasion that began in February.  

Image: AP