China Defends 'Fair' Ukraine Approach as Zelensky Bemoans Xi's Silence

China defended its approach to Russia's war on Ukraine Monday after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told a French newspaper that he regretted the lack of contact with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

Before Russia's invasion in February, Kyiv counted Beijing as its largest goods trading partner. The two capitals are marking 30 years of formal diplomatic ties this year, but China's noncommittal position in the last seven months has frustrated Ukrainian lawmakers.

In an interview with Ouest-France last Friday, Ukraine's president described China's position on the war as "ambiguous." Zelensky pointed to a number of "communications channels" before the war began, but he said talks with China's President Xi "would be difficult today."

"This is a shame. I would like them to help Ukraine," he said.

Wang Wenbin, China's foreign ministry spokesperson, said his country's approach was "objective and fair." He told a regular press briefing in Beijing: "We stand for peace and will continue to play a constructive role in de-escalation efforts in our own way."

Wang said China was ready to maintain its cooperative relationship with Ukraine in areas such as agriculture and infrastructure.

Zelensky's public remarks about the Chinese leadership have been cautious from the start. He previously suggested Beijing could help pressure the Kremlin into winding down its protracted war, which has disrupted global trade and caused a spike in energy costs. But he also has slowly adjusted his comments to reflect his disappointment.

As early as March, Zelensky's top adviser, Andriy Yermak, said dialogue with Xi would happen "very soon." That call never happened. In August, Zelensky told Hong Kong's South China Morning Post that he'd like to "talk directly" with the Chinese leader.

"Since the beginning of the large-scale aggression on February 24, we have asked officially for a conversation, but we [haven't had] any conversation with China even though I believe that would be helpful," he said.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken with his opposite number in Beijing at least three times since the invasion—twice on the phone and once in person—during their latest summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Zelensky is doubtless aware of China's strategically important relationship with Russia. He'd try to avoid offending Xi if he wants Beijing to play a part in rebuilding Ukraine after the conflict, analysts say.

But Zelensky's view of neutrality is clear. In pre-recorded remarks at the 77th session of the U.N. General Assembly, he said those "who speak of neutrality" were, in reality, protecting "only their vested interests."

Last Friday, Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, met Chinese counterpart Wang Yi at the U.N. He said Wang reaffirmed China's "rejection of the use of force as a means of resolving differences."

The Chinese foreign ministry's readout, which said Kuleba had requested the talks, didn't mention the phrase. But it did include a now-familiar criticism of the United States and its NATO allies for "pouring oil on the flame" and "seeking selfish gains."

In other settings, senior Chinese officials also have been less concerned about being seen as siding with the Kremlin while sharing grievances against the West.

In Ukraine, Zelensky has reined in his frustrations, but those around him haven't. Oleksandr Merezhko, a senior lawmaker in the president's Servant of the People party, told Axios over the weekend that China was "like the Soviet Union but more dangerous."

The chair of the Ukrainian parliament's foreign affairs committee said Xi's partnership with Putin showed "China is not our friend." Merezhko and others have instead led an effort to forge closer ties with Taiwan, the democratically governed island Beijing claims as part of its territory.

Kyiv, like most governments, has no formal ties with Taipei, but Ukrainian officials have acknowledged Taiwan's support for its cause.

Kuleba reaffirmed Ukraine's own "one China" policy in his meeting with Wang in New York, the Chinese foreign ministry said.