Beijing has previously avoided involvement in conflicts between other countries but appears to be trying to assert itself as a global diplomatic force after arranging talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran in March that led them to restore diplomatic relations after a seven-year break
According to a government statement, Xi told Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a phone call that a Chinese envoy, a former Chinese ambassador to Russia, would visit Ukraine and ‘other countries’ to discuss a possible political settlement
Two months after issuing a vague plan for ending the war in Ukraine, China s leader, a close ally of Vladimir Putin, on Wednesday acceded to repeated requests from the Ukrainian president to talk.