World War III: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned of the probability of a third world war, "if China allies with Russia in the ongoing aggression against Kyiv." Speaking to a German daily Die Welt, President Zelenskyy asserted the importance of China distancing itself from Moscow's leader Vladimir Putin. "For us, it is important that China does not support the Russian Federation in this war. In fact, I would like it to be on our side," Zelenskyy said.
However, he ascertained that the possibility is very low as his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping understands the sensibility of assisting a country which is ravaging a brutal war against its neighbouring nation.
"At the moment, however, I don't think it's possible. But I do see an opportunity for China to make a pragmatic assessment of what is happening here. Because if China allies itself with Russia, there will be a world war, and I do think that China is aware of that,” the German media quoted Zelenskyy as saying.
Notably, Putin visited Beijing for Winter Olympics-- days before he ordered a "special military operation" against Ukraine. Since then, Putin held several rounds of talks with his Chinese counterpart, prompting experts to warn against the forming of a new alliance.
President Biden made surprise visit to Kyiv
It is worth mentioning the critical remarks from Zelenskyy came on the same day when his United States counterpart Joe Biden visited the national capital and assured its unconditional support to defend its territory. Notably, this is the first visit of the US President to Ukraine ever since the war escalated earlier last year. The surprise visit comes days ahead when the country marks one year since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. "One year later Kyiv stands, Ukraine stands, and Democracy stands. America and the world stand with you. Kyiv has captured a part of my heart," said Biden during a presser. "We will announce $500 million in aid to Ukraine. This will consist of javelins, howitzers, and artillery ammunition. Later, we will announce additional sanctions against companies which are trying to back Russia," he added.
