What did Xi Jinping and Volodymyr Zelensky say on the phone?

One year and two months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, Chinese President Xi Jinping called his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, April 26, 2023. AP

Text by: Stéphane Lagarde Follow

2 min

A long-awaited phone call. According to Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping telephoned his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday afternoon, April 26. This is the first contact between the two heads of state since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine more than a year ago.

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From our correspondent in Beijing,

The Xinhua news agency dispatch summarizing the presidential phone call was read for more than three minutes by the evening news anchor of China Central Television. "On the afternoon of April 26, Xi Jinping spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Zelensky. " says the state media. Information shared on Twitter by Hua Chunying, the director of communication of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in the early evening.

President Xi Jinping spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyhttps://t.co/As17P2buqL

— Hua Chunying 华春莹 (@SpokespersonCHN) April 26, 2023

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Mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity is the basis of Ukrainian relations," the communist leader said. Xi thanked his counterpart for helping to evacuate Chinese nationals from Ukraine at the beginning of the conflict.

Representative for Eurasian Affairs in Ukraine

Reaffirmation of opposition to the use of nuclear weapons and the search for peace through dialogue and consultation, principles already mentioned in China's position for peace in Ukraine. "China will send its special representative for Eurasian affairs to Ukraine and other countries for in-depth communication with all parties on the political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis," Xi added.

On a possible phone 📞call between Xi Jinping 🇨🇳and Zelensky: "I raised the subject and encouraged President Xi to reach out to President Zelensky 🇺🇦," Ursula von der Leyen🇪🇺 said tonight in Beijing.1 🧶/7 pic.twitter.com/iRTRWvbzJD

— Stéphane Lagarde (@StephaneLagarde) April 6, 2023

The Chinese media, however, do not specify what Volodymyr Zelensky replied. What is known is that the latter had invited the Chinese leader to visit Ukraine at the end of March. According to the Wall Street Journal, Xi Jinping considered calling Kiev in mid-March. Then the European leaders Charles Michel, Pedro Sanchez, Emmanuel Macron, Ursula Von der Leyen and again recently Joseph Borrel, at each visit to Beijing, called on the Chinese president to make this phone call. He will come at the appropriate time, replied the latter. So the time seemed to have come a year, two months and two days after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

► READ ALSO: The Chinese diplomatic offensive in the war in Ukraine of its Russian ally

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