China’s Xi has spoken to eight world leaders since the start of the war. Apart from…

Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin made a call within days of the February 24 invasion

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Chinese President Xi Jinping has held talks with state leaders, including Vladimir Putin. But there is one major lapse from his diplomatic reach: Volodymyr Zelensky.

Xi has spoken with at least eight world leaders in the month since the invasion, stressing Beijing’s priority for negotiating war and sanctions. The leader of the world’s second-largest economy encouraged Russia to move to talks, offered to work with France and Germany to promote talks, and told President Joe Biden that China “stands for peace”. “

Asked on Wednesday why Xi did not speak with Zelensky, foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a regular news briefing that China had “smooth communication” on the Ukraine issue. “China supports all parties to uphold the concept of inseparability of security,” Wang said.

Zelensky’s aide Andrey Yermak on Tuesday called for exchanges with Xi “very soon”.

Xi may be reluctant to speak with Putin’s wartime rival after announcing a “no boundaries” partnership with the Russian leader on February 4. This draws a distinction between Xi and at least 17 other state leaders – including all of the group’s seven countries – who have spoken with the Ukrainian president and in many cases have ratified Russia. Zelensky has addressed at least 10 national legislatures over the past month, most recently on Wednesday in the Japanese Diet.

While the top US envoy to China has claimed that Beijing’s tight ties with Russia and Ukraine were an “asset” in peace talks, the silence between Xi and Zelensky raises questions about China’s commitment to mediation. Other potential mediators of the talks, such as Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, Olaf Scholz of Germany and Naftali Bennett of Israel, have spoken to the presidents of both sides of the war.

“China can only advise Russia to try to end the conflict in a respectful manner so that Beijing can avoid the last thing: the fall of Putin’s regime and the rise of a Western government,” said Chen Shih-min, an associate professor. said. in International Security at National Taiwan University.

Xi and Putin held a call within days of the February 24 offensive, during which the Chinese leader did not condemn Moscow’s military aggression. “The Chinese side supports the Russian side in resolving the issue through dialogue,” Xi said, according to official Xinhua news agency.

Since then, while Beijing has maintained that it respects Ukraine’s right to sovereignty, it has voted against a UN court order to immediately suspend its military operations to Moscow, denouncing Putin’s regime. Refused to join the US-led sanctions campaign to isolate and frame Washington as one. The “culprit” of the conflict for encouraging the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization eastward. Xi and Putin held a call within days of the February 24 offensive, during which the Chinese leader did not condemn Moscow’s military aggression. “The Chinese side supports the Russian side in resolving the issue through dialogue,” Xi said, according to official Xinhua news agency.

In that environment, Xi has given up on his diplomats. His ambassador to Ukraine last week reassured local officials that China was a “friendly country” that would “never attack Ukraine.” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Ukrainian counterpart on March 1 that Beijing was “highly concerned” by the war, the most senior diplomatic exchange between the two countries.

Wang Yi said separately that China would mediate “when needed” and outlined a six-point plan to provide humanitarian relief. Still, the foreign ministry’s pledge last week of $1.6 million in aid to Ukraine, including food, baby formula, sleeping bags, quilts and damp-proof mats, was poorly received.

Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk said on Friday of the announcement, “Russia is bombing us.” “It is absolutely trivial – honorable and unworthy of a great nation.” In the same week, Biden approved an $800 million aid package to Ukraine, adding to the $200 million of military aid already on the ground.

Addressing the Israel Knesset on Sunday, Zelensky criticized lawmakers for refusing to send weapons or welcoming refugees, comparing the plight of its citizens to that of Jews in Nazi Germany. “Can you tell why we’re still waiting,” he said. “What is this? Indifference? Political calculation? Arbitration without choosing sides?”

A few days ago, he criticized Germany in a video address to his parliament for casting an advantage on the people, referencing the country’s gas flows from Russia. “Give Germany the leadership role you deserve in Germany,” he said.

Zelensky’s confrontational tone may have been a reason to avoid direct involvement with Xi.

“Beijing is keeping that tool in stock,” said Wen-Ti Sung, a lecturer in the Taiwan Studies Program at the Australian National University, of the potential Xi-Zelensky call. “When the international community applies enough pressure, China can deploy that option to reduce the heat.”