On Wednesday Ukraine's President Zelensky and China's President Xi spoke for the first time since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The hour-long call was described by Zelensky as "long and meaningful" - setting the tone for other responses to the call.
Zelensky read out the contents of the call on Telegram, making it clear that the "territorial integrity of Ukraine must be restored within the 1991 borders”.
Xi remains the most powerful world leader not to have condemned Russia's invasion, preserving China's position as a "soft" ally of Russia. However, during the call, he continued to make overtures, suggesting that China could become a peace broker.
China published a "Twelve point Peace Plan" on 24 February 2023, exactly a year after Russia's invasion. The Peace Plan is presented and analysed on the website of the Parley Policy Initiative, a think tank dedicated to conflict resolution.
Andrew Small, an expert on Chinese foreign policy from the German Marshall Fund, is quoted in the Guardian as saying, "I don’t think there will be the sense that this foreshadows some significant near-term initiative. More that this is an effort to change the narrative around China’s role”.
The US response has been cautious, calling the call itself "a good thing", but expressing doubts as to whether it will lead quickly to a concrete peace proposal.
Russia responded to the call with scepticism bordering on contempt, at least towards Ukraine. The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that, "The Ukrainian authorities and their western minders have already shown their ability to mess up any peace initiatives." However, Russia was cautious not to include its ally China in the rebuke, saying it "noted" the "readiness" of China to work towards peace.
Sources: Kyiv Post, The Guardian, The New York Times, Reuters, Parley Policy Initiative
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