China's Xi, Ukraine's Zelenskyy hold long-anticipated call

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping had a "long and meaningful" phone conversation on Wednesday, their first known contact since Russia's invasion of Ukraine more than a year ago.

The phone call, which officials said lasted nearly an hour, is a significant development in efforts to resolve the conflict. It comes two months after Beijing, which has long been aligned with Russia, said it wanted to act as a peace mediator in the war against Ukraine and after Xi visited Moscow last month.

"I believe that this call, as well as the appointment of Ukraine's ambassador to China, will give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations," Zelenskyy said in a Facebook post without elaborating.

Ukraine's presidential office said more details of what was said would be published later in the day.

In China, the phone call was reported by state media. China Central Television said Beijing intends to send an envoy to Kyiv to discuss "a political settlement" for the war.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova commended China's approach but was scathing about Ukraine's stance.

Referring to the call, she praised Beijing's "readiness to strive to establish a (peace) negotiations process," while slamming what she called Kyiv's "rejection of any sound initiatives aimed at a settlement."

Talks between the two leaders had been anticipated for weeks, after China produced a 12-point proposal to end the fighting. The phone call was for China another step toward deeper involvement in resolving the conflict.

Despite that overture, Zelenskyy said in an interview with The Associated Press in late March that he hadn't spoken with Xi since the war began and extended an invitation for him to visit Ukraine.

The peace proposal came on the heels of China's announcement that it was keen to act as mediator in the war that has re-energized Western alliances that are regarded by Beijing and Moscow as rivals.

With the step, Xi's government reinforced China's claim to being neutral in the war, despite blocking efforts at the United Nations to condemn the Kremlin's invasion.

While Zelenskyy has moved his country closer to NATO and has successfully pleaded with alliance member nations to send sophisticated modern weapons to help defeat Russia, Beijing has accused the West of provoking the conflict and "fanning the flames" by providing Ukraine with defensive arms.

When, in February, China called for a ceasefire and peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, Zelenskyy cautiously welcomed Beijing's involvement. But he said success would depend on actions, not words.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warmly welcomed Xi to the Kremlin, in what was seen as a powerful message to Western leaders that their efforts to isolate Moscow over the fighting in Ukraine have fallen short.