Amid heightened tensions over Taiwan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday stressed the importance of China’s neutrality in any war at home as Russia finds itself increasingly isolated from the West.
“We want China to join the unified global stance on Russia’s tyranny over Ukraine,” Zelensky said at a meeting with thousands of students hosted by the Australian National University. “For now, China is on balance, and in fact neutral. To be honest, this neutrality is better than if China joins Russia.”
Mr. Zelensky said in an interview He told the South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong newspaper, that he would like to speak with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. rice field. “Since the large-scale attacks began on February 24th, we have officially asked for a conversation.”
Reflecting the delicacy of the moment, Ukrainian officials have remained mostly silent about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s important visit to Taiwan this week. The Kremlin on Tuesday said her visit to Taiwan was “creating a situation” over the island.
US Secretary of State Anthony J. Brinken last month put pressure on China to join the US. The US is trying to punish Moscow for its aggression in Ukraine and to put together a global effort to “stand up” to Russia’s war. In response, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing was neutral and criticized the United States for what he called “Sinophobia” and policies that provided “dead ends”.
Since the war began, Washington has been able to dissuade China from providing Russia with arms and economic aid, even under the threat of heavy sanctions. China claims to be neutral because it refrains from such explicit endorsement.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Zelensky suggested that China could use its economic clout to counter Russia. “I am convinced that without a Chinese market for the Russian Federation, Russia would have felt complete economic isolation,” he said.
Mr Zelenskiy’s remarks at the Australian National University event were a response to a student’s question and provided a nuanced answer that recognized the current geopolitical realities.
His government is working tirelessly to persuade countries around the world to unite to isolate Russia.”Russia is losing more allies every day,” he said. . But each country does its own calculations, he said.
“I believe the Chinese people will make wise choices. ‘It is important that China does not help Russia.’
Over the past five months, he appealed to his students as he did to leaders around the world — pointing out the atrocities committed by the Russian army, and that Moscow imposes its will on its sovereigns. I asked what would happen to the world order if we succeeded in nations by force.
When asked by a student what was the hardest thing about leading a country in a war, Zelensky said it was understanding what people were capable of. by an invading army.
“I didn’t think people could do those things,” he said.
