Von der Leyen speaks with Zelenskyy ahead of China visit
The talk precedes the EU leader’s visit to Beijing.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday ahead of her visit to China later this week.
“Ukraine will be an important topic of my meetings with President Xi and Premier Li,” von der Leyen tweeted after the call, referencing her upcoming meetings with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Li Qiang, the country’s premier.
Von der Leyen’s sitdown with Xi is slated for Thursday. At the get-together, the EU leader is expected to broach the topic of China’s role in Russia’s war on Ukraine.
“The EU wants a just peace that respects Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” von der Leyen added.
In a speech last week, von der Leyen rejected China’s peace proposal for Ukraine — which recognizes seized Ukrainian territory as Russian — as “simply not a viable plan” and expressed concerns that the country may be siding with Russia in the ongoing conflict.
The remarks reflected a hardening approach from EU officials toward China.
On Tuesday, the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that China’s “position on Russia’s atrocities and war crimes will determine the quality of our relationship.”
Borrell also announced Tuesday that he will visit Beijing next week.
Von der Leyen will join French President Emmanuel Macron during her time in China. A Commission spokesperson confirmed that she will hold a meeting with Xi and Macron, followed by a talk with the Chinese leader.
“Ukraine will be an important topic of my meetings with President Xi and Premier Li,” von der Leyen tweeted after the call, referencing her upcoming meetings with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Li Qiang, the country’s premier.
Von der Leyen’s sitdown with Xi is slated for Thursday. At the get-together, the EU leader is expected to broach the topic of China’s role in Russia’s war on Ukraine.
“The EU wants a just peace that respects Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” von der Leyen added.
In a speech last week, von der Leyen rejected China’s peace proposal for Ukraine — which recognizes seized Ukrainian territory as Russian — as “simply not a viable plan” and expressed concerns that the country may be siding with Russia in the ongoing conflict.
The remarks reflected a hardening approach from EU officials toward China.
On Tuesday, the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that China’s “position on Russia’s atrocities and war crimes will determine the quality of our relationship.”
Borrell also announced Tuesday that he will visit Beijing next week.
Von der Leyen will join French President Emmanuel Macron during her time in China. A Commission spokesperson confirmed that she will hold a meeting with Xi and Macron, followed by a talk with the Chinese leader.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
