After talking with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi on Wednesday afternoon appointed a new ambassador of Ukraine to Beijing, selecting a former high-ranking member of his cabinet for the post, Reuters reports.
According to the decree published on the website of the President of Ukraine, Zelenskyi appointed the former Minister of Strategic Industries of Kyiv, Pavlo Ryabikin, as the Ambassador of Ukraine to China.
Ryabikin held the position from November 2021 until last month, when he was replaced as part of a larger personnel reshuffle in the Ukrainian government. Previously, he headed the Customs Service of Ukraine from November 2020 to November 2021, having more than 20 years of political career behind him.
From 2009 to 2010, he was the Ambassador of Ukraine to Denmark, being a graduate of the Institute of International Relations of Kyiv University.
It will be recalled that earlier on Wednesday, Xi Jinping and Zelenskyi had a telephone conversation, the information was initially transmitted by the Chinese state television CCTV.
According to the cited source, they exchanged views on Sino-Ukrainian relations, and Beijing will send a special emissary to Ukraine to discuss the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis with all parties involved.
This statement was made by Xi Jinping himself, quoted by Beijing State Television.
China insists that it wants peace in Ukraine
The head of China also said that his country has always been on the side of peace in the Ukrainian crisis, and China’s main position is to call for peace and promote negotiations.
Volodymyr Zelenskyi confirmed the discussion on Twitter:
“I had a long and meaningful telephone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping. I believe that this conversation, as well as the appointment of the ambassador of Ukraine to China, will give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations.
After the conversation, Russia accused Ukraine of “undermining peace initiatives” by refusing dialogue with Moscow.
“The Ukrainian authorities and their Western supporters have already demonstrated the ability to undermine peace initiatives,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The conversation between Zelenskyi and Xi came just over a month after the Beijing-based leader made an official visit to Moscow, during which he insisted his country was “impartial” to the conflict in Ukraine, despite heated exchanges between him and Vladimir Putin.
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Source: Hot News
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