Andriy Yermak, the head of President Volodymyr Zelensky's office, told a virtual briefing on Tuesday he hoped the Ukrainian leader would speak with President Xi Jinping "very soon," as Beijing mulls support for Russia's ongoing invasion of the country.
Yermak told the event—hosted by the British Chatham House think tank—that Kyiv wants China to do more to help end the fighting, which has so far raged for 27 days and is believed to have killed tens of thousands of people.
"China is the largest trade partner of Ukraine, and China is a most influential player in the global arena," Yermak said.
"There are a lot of rumors about Russia wanting China to support it militarily, economically, diplomatically, in different ways. But so far, we've seen China's neutral position.
"We believe that China is one of the most potent global leaders," Yermak said. "It should play a more noticeable role in bringing this war to an end, and in building up a new global security system.
