China has influence to push Putin to stop the war, Zelenskyy says
Volodymyr Zelenskyy (photo: Getty Images)
China has enough leverage over Russia to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war against Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during an online address to the Hudson Institute.
"China has influence on Russia because they are a real market for Russia, and I think their trade, between China and Russia, is the biggest. So, of course, China has influence on it and they can push Putin to stop this war," the president noted.
Zelenskyy also commented on a possible meeting between the leaders of China, the United States, and Russia. He said he did not know what issues would be discussed if such a meeting took place, but stressed Kyiv's firm position that no decisions concerning Ukraine can be made without Ukraine.
"I hope nobody will divide Ukraine. It's not simple for us. We need friends, not Russian friends," the Ukrainian leader emphasized.
The president added that Ukraine has always supported multilateral negotiations and has advocated talks with the Russian Federation, mediated by the United States and backed by Europe.
"If China really wants to help, they can. But I really don't know the agenda of their meeting," Zelenskyy concluded.
China's stance on ending the war
Recently, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng said Beijing would continue to promote efforts to find a political settlement to Russia's war against Ukraine through dialogue and negotiations.
We also reported that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Kyiv and Moscow to pursue dialogue, trust, and "mutual concessions" to end the war. He emphasized that dialogue and confidence-building would be key to establishing lasting peace.
