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February 24, 2023 | 3:35 p.m
Friday marked the first anniversary of the Ukraine war, which claimed hundreds of thousands of lives on both sides. AFP via Getty Images
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday he would meet with China’s Xi Jinping – after Beijing called for peace talks to end the war – although he categorically refused to negotiate with Vladimir Putin.
“I plan to meet Xi Jinping,” Zelenskyy said during a wide-ranging two-hour press conference marking the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “This will be important for world security.”
He did not say when or where the meeting would take place.
“It is an important signal that they are preparing to participate in this issue,” he added from Kyiv, referring to China’s offer to mediate peace between the two countries.
“So far I see that as a signal – I don’t know what will happen later.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ruled out negotiations with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, saying during a press conference on Friday that “there is no one to talk to”. Getty Images
He also warned Russia’s ally China not to supply Moscow with weapons.
“I very much want to believe that China will not supply arms to Russia, and for me this is very important,” he said.
“That’s point number one.”
Putin (right) has signaled he would be ready for peace talks if Russia’s territorial gains in Ukraine are recognized. AP
Zelenskyy meanwhile rejected negotiations with Putin.
When asked by a Turkish reporter, Zelenskyy replied that in the run-up to the invasion he had asked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to negotiate with the Russian President in a bid to desperately avert an all-out war.
“[Erdogan] couldn’t then. Now he thinks he can [get Putin to negotiate]’ said Zelenskyy. “But now we can’t do it because it’s not the same person. There’s nobody to talk to.”
Zelensky marked the first anniversary of the war by presenting medals to soldiers during an emotional ceremony outside St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev, AP
In October Zelenskyy signed a decree formally declaring negotiations with Putin “impossible”.
“He doesn’t know what dignity and honesty are. That is why we are ready for a dialogue with Russia, but with a different President of Russia,” Zelenskyy said at the time.
On Friday, Zelenskyy reiterated his often-stated position that any peace talks with Russia must be preceded by an immediate cessation of all hostilities and a complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine’s territory.
The President visited wounded soldiers in a hospital and presented state awards. Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
“If you do all that, then we would tell you how we would diplomatically end the war,” he said.
Ukraine has claimed that Russia must withdraw its troops from the five regions it has illegally annexed since 2014 and recognize the country’s 1991 borders.
But Russia’s foreign ministry on Friday said the world should recognize “new territorial realities” in Ukraine as a precondition for peace, and suggested the Kremlin should be allowed to keep its territorial gains.
Russian forces made further incremental gains near the key town of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. Portal
Despite fierce resistance from outnumbered Ukrainian forces, Russia has managed to capture about a fifth of the country and made gradual progress near the eastern town of Bakhmut, where some of the bloodiest fighting of the war took place.
The Wall Street Journal, citing official sources, reported that some of the NATO alliance’s most influential members, including Germany, France and Britain, are encouraging Ukraine to consider peace talks — even as Putin’s forces continue to occupy parts of their country.
Publicly, the leaders of these three nations have pledged to support Ukraine for as long as necessary.
The comments come just weeks after the US-led NATO bloc agreed to supply main battle tanks and other high-tech military equipment to Ukraine to bolster its capabilities.
Years of war have killed hundreds of thousands of people and left much of Ukraine in ruins. AFP via Getty Images
The prime minister of NATO member Poland, who was visiting Kiev to mark the war anniversary, announced that the first batch of its Leopard tanks had already arrived in Ukraine.
During Friday’s news conference, Zelenskyy was asked for a comment attributed to US General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who reportedly implied that Ukraine would not be able to defeat Russian forces to evict the entire occupied territory.
Zelenskyy replied that he had not heard this during his meeting with Milley, but he added: “If General Milley wants us to drive the enemy out of our country, I think that … he should expedite the delivery of weapons.”
He also noted that unlike President Biden, who visited Kyiv last week to show his administration’s support for Ukraine, Milley has not made the trip yet, although “he has been invited.”
Before attending an online G7 summit on Friday, Biden tweeted, “Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia. Never.”
The US and its G7 countries pledged to step up their support for Ukraine and said they would never recognize Russia’s illegal annexation of Ukrainian lands.
With mail wires
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