MADRID — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has accepted an invite from Chinese language President Xi Jinping to make a state go to to Beijing as Xi tries to provoke assist for China‘s peace proposal for Ukraine.

Sánchez plans to be in China on March 30-31, Spain’s minister for the presidency, Félix Bolaños, mentioned late Wednesday, citing Xi’s “potential mediation within the conflict in Ukraine” as a key motive for the go to.

Spain takes over the European Union’s rotating presidency in July, and Sánchez has portrayed his nation on the world stage as a staunch NATO ally of Ukraine.

Sánchez advised reporters in Brussels, the place he was attending an EU summit on Thursday, that he would “discover out first hand what (China’s) place is for peace in Ukraine, and transmit the message that the Ukrainians would be the ones who set up the circumstances for peace.”

He plans to carry commercially centered conferences through the Boao Discussion board for Asia on the Chinese language island of Hainan on March 30 earlier than touring to Beijing to satisfy with Xi on March 31, Sánchez’s workplace mentioned.

“China and Spain take pleasure in sustained, sound and steady improvement of relations,” Chinese language Overseas Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin mentioned Thursday when requested in regards to the prime minister’s go to. “The 2 leaders keep good communication,” he added, with out offering additional particulars.

Xi met in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week to advertise Beijing’s peace plan for Ukraine, which Western nations have all however dismissed as unviable. Putin mentioned it might be a foundation for ending the combating when the West is prepared however added that Ukraine’s Western allies haven’t proven curiosity.

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Observe AP’s protection of the conflict in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine