News Snapshot:
China’s president Xi Jinping expressed willingness to speak to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the head of the European Commission said, after French president Macron urged Beijing to talk sense to Russia over the war in Ukraine. Xi, who has sought to position China as a potential mediator in the conflict but is seen by the West as favouring Russia, responded by saying he hoped Moscow and Kyiv could hold peace negotiations as soon as possible. However, an adviser to Russian president Putin rated the chances of peace talks starting this year at “zero” and a top Ukrainian official ruled out...
