Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that he asked US President Donald Trump to press China’s leader to use Beijing’s influence over Moscow in a diplomatic effort to get Russia to end its 4½-yearlong military operation in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy told reporters he has not yet received feedback from the White House about Trump’s talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping but expects to learn the outcome.
Zelenskyy, who is keen to muster more international support for Ukraine’s defense, was in the United States this week on a trip coinciding with the UN General Assembly. He met with Trump on Tuesday.
Washington is pushing for a three-way meeting involving delegations from the US, Ukraine and Russia, with officials holding technical talks in that format without the countries’ leaders, Zelenskyy said.
Ukraine is waiting for the US to propose a date for those meetings, he said, adding that American officials suggested the United Arab Emirates as the location for these talks.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that Putin and Trump during their call earlier this month discussed holding such a meeting in the near future.
“As of now, I can’t give you any specifics,” Peskov said.
