MOSCOW, March 29. /TASS/. Russia highly praises China’s balanced position on Ukraine, however, it has no right to advise on holding Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s contacts, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.
"We are familiar with the balanced position of China, we highly praise it and believe that the Chinese leader decides on his own the expediency of certain contacts," the Kremlin spokesman said, commenting on the possibility of a contact between Xi Jinping and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. "We have no right to advise on this issue," Peskov pointed out.
Zelensky told the Associated Press in an interview on Wednesday that he was ready to receive Xi Jinping in Ukraine. According to the agency, the Ukrainian leader had already sent an invitation. Commenting on the report at a news briefing on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said that China remained in touch with all the parties to the conflict. As for Zelensky’s invitation for Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit Ukraine, the Foreign Ministry had no information whatsoever.
On March 24, Mao Ning said that Beijing had no information it could provide about potential telephone conversation between Vladimir Zelensky and Xi Jinping. Earlier, adviser to the Ukrainian Presidential Office Mikhail Podolyak said that a conversation between the two leaders was being planned but that there were certain difficulties arranging one. This is due to China’s position, he maintained.
Xi Jinping was on a state visit to Russia on March 20-22, during which he had negotiations with Putin. The Russian leader said after talks that many provisions of China’s peace plan on Ukraine could be used as a basis for the conflict settlement whenever the West and Kiev were ready for that. At the same time, he pointed out that so far, "no such readiness" could be seen.