Zelenskyy’s wife Olena Zelenska said the Chinese delegation in Davos had been handed a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ally.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has written a letter inviting Chinese leader Xi Jinping for talks as the Russian invasion approaches its one-year anniversary.
The letter was handed over to the Chinese delegation at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, his wife Olena Zelenska said on Wednesday.
Zelenskyy has repeatedly attempted to reach out to Xi since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February last year, hoping Beijing will use its influence over Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
“It was a gesture and an invitation to dialogue, and I really hope that this invitation will be acted upon,” Zelenska told reporters.
China and Russia announced a borderless partnership in February last year, just before Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine.
Beijing has sought to position itself as neutral in the war while deepening ties with Moscow, particularly in the energy sector.
However, some analysts have suggested that China could eventually step in as a mediator to broker an end to the fighting in Ukraine.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi last September called on “all parties concerned to prevent the crisis from spilling over,” emphasizing concerns about the economic impact of the conflict affecting countries worldwide.
Zelenskyy told the South China Morning Post newspaper in August that he had “officially asked to speak” with Xi, saying the addition of dialogue would be “helpful.”
Foreign ministers from both countries met in September on the fringes of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.