Talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Chinese President Xi Jinping “would be a very good thing,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Thursday.
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Assuring that the United States has long been “encouraging” such contacts, he said: “We consider it very important that the Chinese hear the Ukrainians’ point of view and not only that of (Vladimir) Putin.”
The Ukrainian President said at the end of February that he was planning a meeting with the Chinese head of state.
The Wall Street Journal claimed earlier this week that Xi Jinping plans to speak with his Ukrainian counterpart soon, in what would be their first conversation since Russia invaded Ukraine just over a year ago.
According to the daily, the talks could take place in Moscow next week following a planned visit by the Chinese president.
Beijing has neither condemned nor explicitly supported the Russian offensive in Ukraine, while providing diplomatic support to Moscow.
On February 24, exactly one year to the day after Russia began invading Ukraine, Beijing released a 12-point document calling on Moscow and Kiev to hold peace talks.
But if China tries to assert itself as a mediator in this conflict, it disqualifies its position as an ally of Russia in the eyes of the West, which in turn supports Ukraine.
Recently accused by the United States of considering arms sales to Russia, China has staunchly denied it.