China could find a way to push Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate, but it is not doing so, since Beijing is not on Ukraine's side in this war. This was stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in an interview with the Japanese TV channel NHK.
He stressed that he had never seen China putting pressure on Russia to end the war.
"Maybe they do it during some of their bilateral meetings. I don't know. But I believe that they have a huge influence on Russia, especially now, when there are multiple sanctions, there is a "shadow fleet", and the energy and banking systems are isolated. Of course, China could find a way to push Putin to negotiate. I am sure of that. But they did not do it. And if you can do something, but you don't do it - is this support or not?" - Zelensky noted.
He believes that China is largely on the side of Russia.
"It is a pity that China is not on our side in this war - politically. It is not even a question of weapons, but of political will. And it is a pity, because strong leaders - including China - could stop this war immediately. It is a pity that they are not on our side. But this is not a problem, but a reason for regret," the Ukrainian president emphasized.
According to him, the problem is that China "does not take a neutral position", but is "somewhat more on the side of Russia". He added that it is not a question of direct arms supplies, but rather of greater openness to Russia and a willingness to help it more than Ukraine; in the case of such a large country, this "small thing" means a lot.
Zelensky also pointed out that North Korean-made missiles have reached Ukraine, but he has not seen Chinese ones.
"But I know that their technology reaches Russia. The equipment they use comes from China - probably along with specialists and technology," he added.