Xi and Zelenskyy speak by phone on 26 April 2023
A look back at the call between the Chinese and Ukrainian presidents, and at Latvia's Stinger pledge days earlier.
What did the first call between Xi Jinping and Volodymyr Zelenskyy produce? On 26 April 2023, the Chinese leader phoned the Ukrainian president. Afterwards, both countries announced they would send representatives to establish a diplomatic presence.
The call was reported as part of the wider diplomatic picture around China and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The announcements from both sides concerned the dispatch of representatives, and nothing beyond that was stated in the reports of the day.
Military aid in the days before
Five days earlier, on 21 April 2023, Latvian Defence Minister Ināra Mūrniece said Latvia would send all of its FIM-92 Stinger missile systems to Ukraine. She made the announcement after a meeting with NATO allies at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
