Xi Jinping does not want to talk to Zelensky and Biden - media

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has not agreed to a phone call with US President Joe Biden, who for his part has said he intends to "reset" relations between the countries. This was reported by Reuters.

White House sources told Reuters that the Chinese have shown little interest in such a call, which would be the first known interaction between US and Chinese leaders since the G20 meeting in Bali in November 2022.

"Melting the ice" between the countries was attempted by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken at the Munich Security Conference in February during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, but that did not ease tensions. As Reuters notes, the conversation between the two sides has become "most antagonistic".

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for China, Taiwan and Mongolia Affairs Rick Waters is trying to rectify the situation. He is in China and is "trying to lay the groundwork for Blinken's visit".

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he expected a phone conversation with the Chinese leader and that it was supposed to take place immediately after Xi's visit to Moscow. However, Kyiv has not yet received any specifics from China on this matter.