Zelenskyy invites Xi to visit Ukraine
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia on Mar 27, 2023, after they were damaged by a Russian missile strike. (File photo: Reuters/Ukrainian Presidential Press Service)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has extended an invitation to Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit, the Associated Press reported on Wednesday (Mar 29).
"We are ready to see him here," Zelenskyy told the news agency in an interview.
Xi has not talked to Zelenskyy since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine last February, but China published a 12-point plan for "a political resolution of the Ukraine crisis" last month.
Xi discussed the conflict with his "dear friend", Russian President Vladimir Putin, while on a state visit to Moscow last week, although the talks did not show progress on how to end the war.
China's proposal includes a call for a de-escalation and eventual ceasefire in Ukraine.
But the United States has been dismissive of the proposal, given that China has declined to condemn Russia over its invasion.
The United States says that a ceasefire now would lock in Russian territorial gains and give Putin's army more time to regroup.
Ukraine has welcomed China's diplomatic involvement, but Zelenskyy has said that he will only consider peace settlements after Russian troops leave Ukrainian territory.
