KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed Friday that he appealed to U.S. President Donald Trump to encourage Chinese President Xi Jinping to intervene in the ongoing war, urging Beijing to leverage its sway over Moscow to help conclude Russia’s four-and-a-half-year invasion.
Speaking to reporters following a trip to the United States for the U.N. General Assembly—where he met with Trump—Zelenskyy indicated he is waiting for White House updates regarding discussions with Chinese leadership. Western allies have previously identified China as a key economic and diplomatic supporter of Moscow.
In audio messages shared with journalists, Zelenskyy outlined ongoing efforts by Washington to organize working-level trilateral talks between American, Ukrainian, and Russian delegations without head-of-state participation. The United Arab Emirates has been proposed as a potential host venue.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin previously discussed the prospect of negotiations, though no fixed date has been set. Previous rounds of discussions in Abu Dhabi and Geneva yielded no substantial progress.
Addressing the situation from St. Petersburg, Putin condemned recent Ukrainian military actions inside Russian territory and stated that Moscow would carefully evaluate its options before agreeing to resume talks.
He added that any decisions regarding negotiations would depend entirely on Russian national interests.
“As of now, I can’t give you any specifics,” Peskov said.
Zelenskyy also expressed hope that Trump will enforce a newly signed bipartisan sanctions package designed to pressure the Russian economy into peace negotiations.
“The sanctions are indeed strong … all of this is now in the hands of the president of the United States. He can use this tool to pressure the Russian Federation,” Zelenskyy said.