Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that Kiev is counting on China to play a stronger diplomatic role in efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Zelenskyy made the comments after Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated Ukraine on its Independence Day, which marked 35 years since the country declared independence from the Soviet Union.
“I thank Chinese leader Xi Jinping for his congratulations to Ukraine on our most important national holiday,” Zelenskyy said.
He described independence as an “unconditional value” for Ukrainians and other sovereign nations, adding that Kiev valued its relations with Beijing, which he said had been built over 35 years on mutual respect and recognition of the values of both peoples.
"We count on further cooperation and on China playing a strong diplomatic role in bringing Russia’s war against our country to an end. Peace can be our shared achievement," he added.
Zelenskyy’s appeal comes as Ukraine continues to seek greater international diplomatic pressure on Moscow and support for efforts to reach a lasting peace. China has maintained close ties with Russia.
Russia, Ukraine preparing new major prisoner exchange
Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine were preparing another major prisoner exchange, with officials from both sides working to finalise lists of people who could be released, Russia's state news agency Tass said on Wednesday.
Yana Lantratova, Russia’s Commissioner for Human Rights, said preparations were under way for the exchange.
“We are preparing another fairly large exchange; the lists are being finalised,” Lantratova told Tass.
The last major prisoner exchange was on August 19, when Russia and Ukraine each exchanged 103 servicemen following mediation from the United Arab Emirates.
Prisoner exchanges have remained one of the few areas of practical cooperation between Moscow and Kiev during the armed conflict that began in 2022.
