Zelensky says he plans to meet Xi Jinping on China's peace plan

Kiev, Feb 25 (IANS) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he plans to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to follow up on Beijing's proposals on ending the ongoing war.

In a 12-point paper released by the Foreign Ministry in Beijing on Friday as the war marked a year, China said that dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis,adding that it "will continue to play a constructive role in this regard".

The paper called for a resumption of peace talks between the two warring sides, an end to unilateral sanctions, and stressed its opposition to the use of nuclear weapons.

"All parties should support Russia and Ukraine in working in the same direction and resuming direct dialogue as quickly as possible, so as to gradually de-escalate the situation and ultimately reach a comprehensive ceasefire," it added.

In response, Zelenksy said that China's proposal signalled that it was involved in the search for peace.

"I really want to believe that China will not supply weapons to Russia," the BBC quoted the President as saying.

He liked the fact that China started talking about Ukraine, and considers this to be "very good". But the question remained on what lies behind those words, what actions will follow them, reports Ukrayinska Pravda.

The President also positively reacted to the People's Republic of China respecting the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

In general, according to the President, the fact that China's so-called "peace plan" includes respect for international territorial law and "certain security things" already makes it possible to work with this country.

"Our task is to bring everyone together to isolate someone," he added.

Meanwhile, Russia hailed the proposals, saying "we share Beijing's views".

Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Beijing was considering supplying weapons and ammunition to Russia - a claim strongly denied by Beijing. On Friday, American media again reported that the Chinese government was considering sending drones and artillery shells to Moscow.

Asked about the Chinese plan, US President Joe Biden told ABC News on Friday: "(Russian President Vladimir) Putin's applauding it, so how could it be any good?

"I've seen nothing in the plan that would indicate that there is something that would be beneficial to anyone other than Russia."

The development comes following Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to Moscow, where he met President Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday.

After the talks, Wang was quoted by China's state-run Xinhua news agency as saying that Beijing was willing to "deepen political trust" and "strengthen strategic coordination" with Moscow.