'Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has no plans to visit China for Winter Olympics opening ceremony'
Jan 31, 2022
Kiev [Ukraine], February 1 : Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has no plans to visit China for the Beijing Winter Olympic Games opening ceremony scheduled for February 4, said Zelenskyy's spokesperson Sergey Nikiforov.
Nikiforov said, "At present, Volodymyr Zelenskyy's calendar has no visit to China. Within the next few days the President has planned meetings with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan," Sputnik reported citing the RBC-Ukraine.
The Kremlin last week did not rule out a possible meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy, should the latter attend the ceremony, the Russian News Agency reported.
"At the same time, we welcome the fact that Kremlin has finally begun to realize that there's no alternative to direct contacts, and has begun to talk about a bilateral meeting of presidents," Nikiforov added.
The perilous situation around Ukraine has worsened over the past several months after Russia was accused by NATO and Ukraine of building up troops near the Ukrainian border and allegedly preparing for an invasion.
Russia has consistently denied any plans to invade Ukraine, saying it has the right to move troops inside its territory, responding to what it considers threats to its national security, such as a growing NATO presence in Eastern Europe, Sputnik reported.
The 2022 Winter Olympics will be held in Beijing from February 4-20. The Winter Paralympics will take place in the Chinese capital from March 4-13.
