KYIV (Reuters) -President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday welcomed some elements of a Chinese proposal for a ceasefire in Russia’s war on Ukraine, but said only the country where a war is being fought should be the initiator of a peace plan.
“It’s an important signal that they are preparing to take part in this theme,” he said during a news conference in Kyiv, referring to China’s bid to broker peace.
“So far, I see this as a signal – I don’t know what will happen later.”
Zelenskiy, who said he believed Russia-allied China did not offer a concrete plan but some “thoughts”, also warned Beijing against providing Moscow with arms.
“I very much want to believe that China will not deliver weapons to Russia, and for me this is very important,” he said, speaking on the first anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“This is point number one.”
The Ukrainian leader also said that any plan that did not include a full Russian troop withdrawal would be unacceptable to Kyiv.
He added that he planned to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping but did not say when such a meeting might take place.
“I plan to meet Xi Jinping and believe this will be beneficial for our countries and for security in the world,” Zelenskiy said.
He had earlier reiterated that he would not hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The West reacted with scepticism to China’s proposal on Friday for a ceasefire, with NATO saying Beijing did not have much credibility as a mediator.
(Reporting by Max HunderWriting by Dan PeleschukEditing by Timothy Heritage and Frances Kerry)
