Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said on Friday he plans to meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, a close ally of Vladimir Putin, after Beijing offered to settle the conflict with Moscow, AFP reported.

“I intend to meet with Xi Jinping. This will be important for global security. China respects territorial integrity and must do everything to ensure that Russia leaves the territory of Ukraine,” Zelensky said at a press conference.

He said he hoped China would not supply Russia with weapons, as the US has accused, which Beijing denies.

“For me, this is very important, this is the number one point,” Zelenskyy said and added: “I want to believe that China will be on the side of a just world, that is, on our side.

China has called for Russian-Ukrainian peace talks, citing respect for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and Russia’s security claims.

The West has largely rejected this initiative, but Zelenskyi has said that it is “necessary” to “work” with Beijing.

“This is an important signal that they are preparing to participate in this issue,” Zelenskyy said at a press conference in Kyiv, referring to China’s offer to hold peace talks. “For now, I take it as a signal – I don’t know what will happen next,” he added.

Zelensky noted that, in his opinion, China did not offer a specific peace plan, but only some “opinions”.

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