AbroadToday, 16:29, the Spanish Prime Minister during his visit to China invites Xi to talk to Zelensky

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Friday invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to speak with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy during a visit to Beijing, where Sanchez is in an effort to strengthen Spain-China relations.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Chinese dictator Xi Jinping Photo: EPA/Scanpix

As Sanchez said at a press conference at the Spanish Embassy in Beijing, he spoke with Xi and other high-ranking Chinese officials about “China’s position” on the issue of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Sanchez also accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of trying to weaken the European Union’s multilateral project for peace and prosperity.

“I encourage President Xi to have a conversation with President Zelensky so he can get a first-hand understanding of this Ukrainian government’s peace plan,” Sanchez said.

Zelensky has repeatedly said that he is open to talks with Xi. It is true, despite the many conversations he had with Putin, the Chinese president has not responded to Zelensky’s offer.

Beijing last month presented a 12-point plan for a “political settlement” of the Ukraine crisis.

Ukraine’s allies reacted to the plan with skepticism, but Kyiv welcomed it.

Sanchez on Friday also expressed a positive assessment of Beijing’s position that the use of nuclear weapons in this conflict is unacceptable, as well as its declared support for “territorial integrity”.

“I want to express my appreciation for the efforts that the Chinese government has made to position itself,” the Spanish prime minister said.