Zelenskyy Aims to Enlist Trump’s Help to Alter Chinese Influence in Ukraine Conflict

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed hope on Tuesday that former US President Donald Trump might influence Chinese President Xi Jinping's approach to the ongoing war in Ukraine. During an appearance on Fox News Special Report, Zelenskyy remarked, "I think that President Trump can change the attitude of Xi Jinping to this war because China—we don't feel that China wants to finish this war." These comments came after his meeting with Trump at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Amid the Russia-Ukraine war, the United States has highlighted China and India as notable contributors due to their continued energy purchases from Moscow. Zelenskyy addressed the UN Security Council, stating that if China genuinely desired an end to the conflict, it could potentially pressure Russia to cease its military actions in Ukraine. He emphasized, "Without China, Putin's Russia is nothing." In a show of support for Ukraine, Trump articulated his belief that the country can reclaim all territories lost since the Russian invasion began in 2022. On his platform Truth Social, Trump characterized Russia as being in significant economic peril, stating that the conflict has continued longer than it should, asserting, "Russia has been fighting aimlessly for three and a half years—a war that should have taken a real military power less than a week to win. This is not distinguishing Russia." Zelenskyy acknowledged this shift in Trump’s rhetoric as a positive development. In another troubling development, Zelenskyy warned of Russia’s actions probing NATO defenses, indicating that Russia is launching long-range drones into the airspace of NATO countries to identify vulnerabilities in their military capabilities. "He will try to find weak places in Europe in NATO countries," he elaborated during a press conference at the UN. Highlighting the humanitarian crisis, a UN rights office report released on Tuesday condemned the widespread torture, including sexual violence, reported against Ukrainian civilians detained by Russian authorities in occupied territories. The report details a pattern of serious violations of international law since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Furthermore, Ukraine's energy ministry urged international action to eliminate Russian occupying forces from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, as external power lines were cut off for the tenth time. They stated, "Today's incident once again proves that the Russian occupation is the main threat to the safe operation of the Zaporizhzhia NPP." The ongoing situation underscores the region's fragile stability and the enduring threat posed by the conflict. Related Sources: • Source 1 • Source 2