Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned of the risk of a world war if China supports Russia in the war with Ukraine

The President of Ukraine said this in an interview with Die Welt.  

"The Chinese issue is extremely complex. It is important for us that China does not support Russia in this war. In fact, I would like to have it on our side. However, I don't think it is possible at the moment. However, I see an opportunity for China to make a pragmatic assessment of what is happening here, because if China allied itself with Russia, a world war would break out, and I think China is aware of this," Zelenskyy said.

The President of Ukraine reminded that Beijing had pledged to respect the territorial integrity of Ukraine after our country had given up nuclear weapons and signed the Budapest Memorandum.

"There are old agreements, security guarantees that were a consequence of the Budapest Memorandum and which other countries later accepted. At that time, there was a clear commitment from China to protect the territorial integrity of Ukraine. We had these guarantees. And I ask you to follow our 10-point formula for peace. Nuclear security is the first issue in which China should play a role together with the United States and some EU states. And not only as a guarantee of Ukraine's security, but also of the whole world," Zelenskyy emphasized.

At the same time, the President of Ukraine emphasized that he currently sees no signs of China's military support for Russia.  

• On February 19, U.S. officials said that China could provide non-lethal military assistance to Russia.
• U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi of the serious consequences of supporting Russia in the war against Ukraine.