On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit his country, which has been torn apart by war for more than a year, Zelensky’s invitation came during an interview with the Ukrainian president published today by the Associated Press.
“We are ready to see him here,” he said during the meeting, referring to the Chinese President.
Zelensky added: “I want to talk to him … but for this whole year, or even more than a year, I have not had any contact with him.” Jinping will visit Ukraine.
A few days ago, news outlets quoted Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview on state television on Sunday that Russia and China were not working on a military alliance and indicated that military cooperation between the two countries was transparent. Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping declared friendship between the two countries and vowed to strengthen relations at a summit that brought them together during the Chinese president’s visit to Moscow last week, at a time when Russia is struggling to make headway in its military sphere. . operation in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president also warned during a meeting with the Associated Press about the dire consequences for Ukraine if it loses Bakhmut. On the train from Sumy to Kyiv, where the meeting took place, Zelensky said: “Either victory, or an agreement that indicates concessions from Ukraine.”
Zelenskiy warned that if his country did not win Bakhmut, Russia would mobilize international support to sign an agreement that would force Ukraine to make unacceptable concessions. He explained that Bakhmut’s falling into the hands of Russian troops would allow President Putin “to extend this victory to the West, to the hinterland of Russia, China and Iran.”
“If he smells blood – the smell of our weakness – he will make more progress,” Zelenskiy said in English, which he used throughout most of the interview.