Ukraine war: Zelensky keen to meet Xi following China's peace plan

President Volodymyr Zelensky has welcomed elements of a Chinese proposal for a ceasefire, on the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

China has called for talks between Russia and Ukraine, saying there must be respect for national sovereignty.

Mr Zelensky said Beijing's proposal appeared to show "there is respect for our territorial integrity".

Russia's foreign ministry said any settlement had to recognise its rule in four areas it says it has annexed.

Meanwhile, Western figures gave the proposals a lukewarm reception. Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg said Beijing "doesn't have much credibility" because it had "not been able to condemn the illegal invasion of Ukraine".

Russian leader Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine a year ago with the aim of seizing the capital Kyiv and deposing Mr Zelensky's government. But the attack on Kyiv was repulsed, the Ukrainian military was able to retake some areas, and the conflict has become a grinding war of attrition for territory in the the eastern Donbas region.

China's 12-point plan breaks little new ground, with Beijing refraining from criticising Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

But speaking at a lengthy news conference to mark the first anniversary of the invasion, Mr Zelensky said China's plan was "an important signal that they are preparing to take part".

He said that he saw the Chinese paper as "thoughts" rather than a concrete plan, and said he wanted to believe Beijing would not provide arms to Russia.

Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Beijing was considering supplying weapons and ammunition to Russia - a claim strongly denied by Beijing.

Mr Zelensky also said he planned to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, but gave no details.

"China started talking about Ukraine and that's not bad," he added.

A Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman said it appreciated China's proposal but that any agreement would have to accept "new territorial realities".

Last year, Moscow declared that it had annexed four areas of Ukraine - Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia - despite its troops not fully controlling any of the regions.

The Chinese proposals follow Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to Moscow, where he met Mr Putin on Wednesday.

In a long news conference marking a year since Russia's invasion, Mr Zelensky said victory "will inevitably await us" if allies "respect their promises and deadlines".

Poland said it had already delivered four Leopard tanks to Ukraine and was ready to deliver more. Germany has said it will provide 14 Leopard tanks, with Spain and Canada also sending tanks. The US - by far the biggest provider of military aid to Ukraine - is sending 31 of its M1 Abrams tanks and the UK is providing 14 Challenger 2 tanks.

The Ukrainian leader added that his country had failed to engage sufficiently with countries in Africa and Latin America after many nations in those continents abstained during a UN General Assembly vote on a resolution condemning Russia's invasion.

"We didn't work well for many years, we didn't pay attention, I think it's a big mistake," he said.

Asked if he could name his worst moment of the war so far, Mr Zelensky said Bucha, a town outside Kyiv where Russian troops are accused of having killed civilians in the early part of the war. The small town had been under Russian control until Ukrainian troops fought back last April to reclaim it.

"What I saw. It was horrible," Mr Zelensky said, visibly moved.

The US marked a year since Russia invaded Ukraine by announcing a new range of sanctions against Russia and new aid for Ukraine.

The latest restrictions target more than 100 entities both within Russia and worldwide, including banks and suppliers of defence equipment. The US said it wanted to stop those helping Russia exploit loopholes to get sanctioned materials.

The White House's fresh round of aid for Ukraine is worth $12bn (£10bn), comprising $2bn from the Department of Defense including ammunition and drones and $10bn from the State Department including budgetary support to the Ukrainian government.

A further $550m will be supplied to both Ukraine and neighbouring Moldova to strengthen their energy infrastructure.

Moldova is Europe's poorest country and has been heavily impacted by the war. Its leaders have warned for several weeks that Russia is plotting to seize power.