"President Xi hasn’t spoken to President Zelenskyy since February 24 and China always talks about bringing peace to the region, so we think it should be clear that President Xi speaks with President Zelensky. It’s the only way they’ll be able to hear his version of Ukraine being invaded by their neighbor," Joly said.
The foreign affairs ministers made the comment during a joint press conference with her Norwegian counterpart Anniken Huitfeldt in Ottawa.
Joly added that Canada believes China can and should be playing a clearer role in solving the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the request for meeting Zelenskyy was also expressed to the Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang last week on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Delhi.
Since China is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, it has a "duty" to defend the UN Charter, Joly said.
Moreover, Beijing also has a "specific role" to play in bringing more stability to Europe, Joly said.