China could play a crucial role in ending the war in Ukraine

Will the deadlock in the Ukraine war be broken in Bakhmut or Beijing? At the moment, all eyes are focused on the much-trailed Ukrainian counter-offensive – which is likely to begin soon. But there are also significant developments on the diplomatic front.

Last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping called his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky. On a recent visit to Kyiv, I was surprised by the eager anticipation – in both the President’s office and the foreign ministry – of that conversation with China’s leader. Now the Xi-Zelensky call has finally taken place and, according to the Ukrainian President, it was “long and meaningful”. Beijing later announced that it would appoint an envoy to work towards a peace settlement.