Zelensky Pleads With China to End Russia’s War as EU Dangles €90B Loan
Ukraine’s president is pushing Beijing to use its muscle against Moscow, while Europe backs Kyiv with a massive new loan package.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has publicly called on China to play a stronger diplomatic role in ending Russia’s war, pointing to a recent congratulatory message from Chinese President Xi Jinping [228110]. “We count on further cooperation and on China playing a strong diplomatic role in bringing Russia’s war against our country to an end,” Zelensky wrote, adding that “peace can be our shared achievement” [228110]. The appeal comes as the European Union has approved a €90 billion loan for Ukraine, backed by its own budget, while roughly €210 billion in Russian central bank assets remain frozen in Western accounts [225004].
The Ukrainian leader’s request signals a diplomatic push to bring Beijing into peace efforts, despite China’s close economic and political ties with Russia and its refusal to condemn the invasion [228110]. No immediate response from Chinese officials was reported [228110].
Meanwhile, Sweden’s Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard urged more nations to step up military support for Ukraine during a visit to Kyiv, focusing specifically on air defense systems [226785]. “If everyone had done as much as the Nordic and Baltic countries, Ukraine would be in a much stronger position than it is now,” Stenergard told the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter [226785].
The EU’s loan is seen as a stopgap measure, while protesters in dozens of countries have rallied demanding Europe use the frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine’s defense and reconstruction instead of relying on new EU debt [225004]. The question now is political, not financial—Europe has the legal tools to seize or redirect those funds but has hesitated [225004].