Ambassador on Zelensky’s Call with Xi Jinping: Zelensky Had a ‘Very Clear Message’
Ukrainian president seeks Xi's help to return children Russians have kidnapped
Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky had a “very clear message” for China's leader in the first phone call between the two since Russia began its full-on invasion of Ukraine last year, according to Ukraine's ambassador to the United States.
Zelensky and Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke by phone Wednesday. Zelensky has been leading his nation's struggle against the lawless and brutal Russian invasion of his sovereign, democratic nation since Russian leader Vladimir Putin ordered the full incursion in February 2022.
China has been straddling both its public appearance as a potential broker for peace while backing Russia behind the scenes with non-military assistance.
Xi carried a so-called “peace plan” with him when he visited Putin recently in Moscow, but that plan has gone nowhere.
“Well, first of all, President Zelensky, on that call, which is the first call since this phase of the war started, has been very clear about the fact that it’s Russia which is an aggressor,” Ambassador Oksana Markarova said. “It’s only Russia which is responsible for this. That Ukraine wants peace but there will not be any concessions on part of Ukraine. And we all have adhere to U.N. Charter.
“This crime of forceful transfer of Ukrainian children, for which Putin and — are already under arrest warrants, is, again, yet another horrific crime. So it was a very clear message from President Zelensky to the head of the state of China that we really hope that they will not help in any way Russia and they would respect their territorial integrity in the U.N. charter, which is very important for them according to their position,” Ukraine's ambassador to the United States said in an on-camera appearance on CNN. “And they should do everything that they can, given their relations with Russia, in order to convey a strong message to Russia to stop this aggressive war and also to return our children.
“Whether the president of China will do something or not, we’ll see, but I think it was very important that President Zelensky was able to say it directly to him,” Markarova said.
The ambassador also reiterated that it's Ukraine's goal to reclaim all of the territory it's lost to Russian aggression, and that includes Crimea which Russia annexed in 2014.
“Well, during this time, we already liberated more than 50 percent of what Russia occupied since February 24,” said Markarova, adding that “the goal is to liberate all of Ukraine.”
“The end goal is to liberate all Ukraine within our recognized borders. So yes, Crimea is Ukraine,” she said.
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