China seeks ‘damage control’ on Ukraine with Zelenskyy call

Chinese president Xi Jinping has met or called his Russian counterpart at least five times since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. But his first call to Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy came just this week, days after a Chinese envoy angered Europe by questioning the sovereignty of post-Soviet states.

Chinese officials say the timing was coincidental and have hailed the call as the latest step in Beijing’s push for peace. But in Europe, the call to the Ukrainian leader is viewed by many as an attempt to contain the fallout from the remarks by the ambassador to France.