Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused China of showing little interest in helping end Russia’s war on his country, saying Beijing has the influence but has failed to use it.

“China certainly has the ability to make the Russians stop the killings. But the world has seen no effort by China to apply that to Russia,” Mr Zelensky said on Friday at an appearance in Kiev.

He noted that while Beijing has called for an end to the conflict and warned against its escalation, Russian President Vladimir Putin “has done nothing”.

Mr Zelensky also criticised China for hosting Mr Putin during his recent four-day state visit.

“That does not stop China from welcoming Putin and discussing with him the most important thing: longevity,” he said.

Ukraine has been resisting Russia’s invasion for more than three and a half years with Western backing.

Like Russia, it relies on Chinese-made components for drone production, while China has become one of the biggest buyers of Russian oil and gas.

Kyiv has repeatedly tried to get Beijing on its side, in spite of the “no limits” partnership declared by Messrs Xi and Putin just days before Russian ground troops crossed the border and Moscow began pounding Ukraine from the air on February 24, 2022.

(dpa/NAN)