France welcomes Xi-Zelensky phone talks on Russia-Ukraine conflict
France says it supports all dialogue aimed at ending the conflict sparked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This comes in the wake of phone contact between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
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France encourages all dialogue that can "contribute to a resolution of the conflict" that is "in line with the fundamental interests of Kyiv" and international law, according to the French press agency AFP quoting a French presidential official.
The same source emphasised that this was the message brought by President Emmanuel Macron on his visit to China earlier this month.
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On Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke on the phone for the first time since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The call, which Beijing says was initiated by Kyiv, lasted for almost an hour and was described by Zelensky as "long and meaningful." During the conversation, Xi reportedly told Zelensky that "talks and negotiation" were the only way out of the war and that China stands for peace in the Ukraine crisis.
After the call, Zelensky appointed Pavlo Ryabikin, until last month Ukraine's Minister of Strategic Industries, as Ukraine's new ambassador to China. Kyiv has not had a head of diplomatic mission in Beijing since the start of Russia's invasion in February 2022.
⚡️Volodymyr #Zelensky has appointed former Minister of Strategic Industries Pavlo Ryabikin as #Ukraine's ambassador to #China, according to the website of the Presidential Office.
— KyivPost (@KyivPost) April 26, 2023
📷: RBK pic.twitter.com/72OoLG7uZ1
While the call between the two leaders was welcomed by France, Russia accused Ukraine of having undermined peace initiatives and suggested that the country's Western allies were responsible for this.
Moscow noted the "readiness of the Chinese side to make efforts to establish a negotiation process," while also accusing Kyiv of having rejected "any sensible initiatives aimed at a political and diplomatic settlement of the situation."
China's peace plan
In February, China unveiled a 12-point "Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis" calling for a peaceful solution to the war in Ukraine. The document urged Russia and Ukraine to enter into peace negotiations and portrayed China as a neutral party.
However, Ukraine's allies reacted with scepticism to the proposal, with Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg stating that Beijing "doesn't have much credibility because they have not been prepared to condemn the illegal invasion of Ukraine."
Zelensky's call with Xi comes more than 400 days after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The conflict has cost the lives to tens of thousands of civilians and soldiers and has caused billions of dollars of damage, while destabilising the region and destroying substantial parts of the economy and infrastructure of Ukraine.
While China has so far refused to condemn Russia's actions, the call between the two leaders suggests that Beijing may now be open to playing a more active role in resolving the crisis.
(With news agencies)
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