Xi Jinping’s talk with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky earns approval from US and EU, as well as a bit of caution
- White House official says the chat is ‘a good thing’ while EU spokesman describes it as ‘an important, long overdue first step by China’
- Some officials credit French President Emmanuel Macron for the call, Xi Jinping’s first conversation with Volodymyr Zelensky since Russia invaded Ukraine
Speaking to reporters just hours after Zelensky’s phone call with Xi, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby called the move “a good thing”. He cautioned that he had only learned about the call through news reports.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV also said that China would send a delegation headed by Li Hui, Beijing’s special representative on Eurasian affairs, as special envoy to Kyiv and “other countries”.
Eric Mamer, spokesman for EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, said the call was “an important, long overdue first step by China in exercising its responsibilities as a member of the UN Security Council”.
“China’s leadership needs to use its influence to bring Russia to end its war of aggression, restore Ukraine’s territorial integrity and respect its sovereignty, as a basis for a just peace,” Mamer added.