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What Xi's call to Zelenskyy set in motion
Summary
A look back at the phone call between the Chinese and Ukrainian presidents, and at Latvia's pledge of its Stinger missiles a few days earlier.
What did a phone call between Beijing and Kyiv change in the diplomacy around the war? On 27 April 2023, the day after the exchange, that question was already being asked.
On 26 April 2023, Chinese leader Xi Jinping called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. After the call, both countries announced that they would send representatives to establish a diplomatic presence.
Latvia's Stinger pledge
A few days earlier, on 21 April 2023, Latvian Defence Minister Ināra Mūrniece announced that Latvia would send all of its FIM-92 Stinger missile systems to Ukraine. She spoke after a meeting with NATO allies at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
The two developments came from different directions: one was a diplomatic contact with Beijing, the other a military supply decision by a Baltic NATO member. Together they marked the days leading up to 27 April 2023.
