Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has reached out to Chinese President Xi Jinping for help in bringing back children who have allegedly been deported by Moscow. Zelensky stated that they need to involve everyone to put pressure on Russia and the terrorists who have kidnapped so many Ukrainian children. He added that many have wanted to do something, but the results have been poor.
Zelensky informed about the request a couple of days after he held a phone call with Xi. This was the first time that the two leaders spoke to each other since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian government claims that nearly 16,000 children have been abducted by Russia since February of last year. While the Kremlin has not denied the accusation, it has presented it as a humanitarian campaign to protect the orphans present in the conflict areas.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) earlier this year issued an arrest warrant for Putin due to the allegations. However, Moscow has stated that it will not be entertaining any arrest warrant, as the country withdrew its membership from ICC in 2016.
During the phone call, Xi reportedly told Zelensky that China has always stood on the side of peace and promoted peace talks to resolve the Ukraine crisis. Xi has presented himself as a mediator of peace since the turn of the year, as he repeatedly batted for maintaining stability and peace in the region during his visit to Russia to meet Putin in March.
China has established a ‘no-limits’ friendship with Russia, but Zelensky’s recent outreach efforts may force Beijing to rethink its impartial approach, experts stated.
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