Following months of badgering by the Europeans to take a more active role in stopping the conflict in Ukraine, President Xi is reportedly considering one-on-one talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (what would be the first round of direct talks between the two since the invasion began) following a round of lower-level talks.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin telegraphed on Tuesday that it would also be open to direct talks between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, but only if the two sides could first agree on a formal document outlining terms.

According to Bloomberg, Foreign Minster Wang Yi expressed a desire for China to take a more active role in cease-fire talks (as the Europeans have been begging Beijing to do) during a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba (the meeting marked their first exchange since March 1).

However, Wang made no new commitments about mediating the conflict.

Wang noted that Xi had "comprehensively expounded" on the need for dialogue and peace talks, but the Chinese diplomat made no new commitments toward mediating the conflict. "China does not seek geopolitical interests, nor will it watch the event from a safe distance while sitting idle, or add fuel to the fire," Wang said.

In a tweet about the meeting, Kuleba said he was "grateful" for his Chinese counterpart, and insisted that they both "share the conviction that ending the war against Ukraine serves common interests of peace."