Chinese President Xi Jinping has told Ukrainian President Zelensky that China will send a special representative to Ukraine.

Mr Xi talked Wednesday with Volodymyr Zelenskyy by phone, state media reported, in a long-awaited move after Beijing said it wanted to act as peace mediator in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

No details of the phone call were immediately released.

‘I had a long and meaningful phone call with President Xi Jinping,’ Zelensky tweeted following the chat.

‘I believe that this call, as well as the appointment of Ukraine’s ambassador to China, will give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations.’

China has tried to appear neutral in the war but refused to criticize Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Chinese government released a peace proposal in February and called for a cease-fire and peace talks.

I had a long and meaningful phone call with 🇨🇳 President Xi Jinping. I believe that this call, as well as the appointment of Ukraine’s ambassador to China, will give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations.

Mr Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a joint statement before the February 2020 invasion saying their governments had a ‘no limits friendship.’

‘Negotiation is the only viable way out,’ state TV said in a report on Mr Xi’s comments to Zelenskyy.

‘There is no winner in a nuclear war,’ the report said. ‘All parties concerned should remain calm and restrained in dealing with the nuclear issue and truly look at the future and destiny of themselves and humanity as a whole and work together to manage the crisis.’

China has ‘always stood on the side of peace’, state media reported following the call.

‘On the issue of the Ukraine crisis, China has always stood on the side of peace and its core position is to promote peace talks,’ CCTV reported Xi as saying during the conversation.

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