Xi Jinping congratulates Ukraine on Independence Day for the first time
Xi Jinping (Photo: REUTERS/Brittany Hosea-Small)
Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a public message to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Ukraine’s Independence Day, marking the first time Xi publicly acknowledged the country’s independence from the Soviet Union, Bloomberg reported on Aug. 26.
In addition, it marked the first known contact between the leaders in more than two years. The agency also noted that the greeting came just days before Vladimir Putin’s scheduled visit to China.
Chinese state media, which typically cover Xi Jinping’s messages to world leaders, did not publish the greeting to Ukraine.
Xi’s Independence Day message to Ukraine is significant given Putin’s repeated claims that the country’s borders were an artificial creation of Soviet leaders, Bloomberg noted.
Moscow and Beijing announced a “no-limits” partnership just before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Bloomberg recalled, with the Chinese leader providing economic and diplomatic support to Putin.
Recently, Zelenskyy opposed the idea of Russia involving China as a security guarantor for Ukraine.
Bloomberg also noted that Xi and Volodymyr Zelenskyy last spoke in April 2023. Their conversation lasted an hour, during which the Chinese leader called for negotiations to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.
On Aug. 24, Ukraine’s president posted Xi Jinping’s greeting on X, in which the Chinese leader highlighted the steady development of bilateral relations.
“China and Ukraine share traditional friendship. I am ready to cooperate to guide our bilateral relations toward stable and long-term development and bring great benefits to the peoples of both countries,” Xi wrote.
Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for the greeting and emphasized “our interest in developing a long-term bilateral dialogue based on mutual respect and for the sake of peace, stability, and prosperity.”
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