The Russian invasion.

Xi Jinping. Thibault Camus / AP 

The Russian invasion. The outside world's response  

Analysis: The timing of Xi's phone call no coincidence  

The phone call between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday has been met with cautiously welcoming tones in the West, writes CNN's Simone McCarthy in an analysis.  

At the same time, peacemaking is probably not Xi's main driving force and the timing is not randomly chosen, she writes. China has an interest in smoothing over several incidents in the relationship with Europe. Most notably, China's ambassador to France recently questioned which countries in the former Soviet Union have a formal right to exist.  

The Washington Post's Adam Taylor writes that the relationship between Ukraine and China is a balancing act for both parties. The US has condemned China for giving mixed messages about the war. But Ukraine has refrained from completely dismissing China's overtures for mediation, even though the country's proposed "peace plan" is in line with Moscow's interests.  

The phone call could also be seen as a way for Xi to show that he does not always support Russian President Vladimir Putin, although that nuance may be difficult for Western critics to perceive, writes Joe McDonald in an analysis for the AP.  

Ukrainian soldiers in Bachmut/Image from April 9 LIBKOS / AP  

The Russian invasion. The outside world's response  

Expert: Ukraine understands which side China is on 

It is extremely important for Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky to create his own relationship with China. This is what Ryhor Nizhnikau at the Finnish Institute for Foreign Policy tells Helsingin Sanomat.  

The reason, according to him, is that it is clear that China supports Russia in this conflict. 

- And I think Ukraine understands this, says Nizhnikau.  

He also believes that Ukraine should actively work on building its own relations with other former Soviet countries. This is because many citizens of these countries stand behind the Ukrainians, but do not show it openly because Ukraine has not expressed support for them.