If China were to ally with Russia, there would be a world war, and China is aware of that, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with the German publication Welt.

It is important for Ukraine that China does not support Russia in the war, the head of state said, adding that at the moment it is impossible to have China on Ukraine's side.

"The China question is extremely complicated. It is important for us that China does not support the Russian Federation in this war. In fact, I'd like to have it on our side. However, I don't think it's possible at the moment," he said.

At the same time, Zelenskyy stressed that sees an opportunity for China to make a pragmatic assessment of what is happening in Ukraine.

"However, I do see an opportunity for China to make a pragmatic assessment of what is happening here. Because if China were to ally with Russia, there would be a world war, and I think China is aware of that," he said.

Asked what card would Ukraine play to persuade Beijing to give up its neutrality, Zelenskyy said that China must support the Peace Formula proposed by Ukraine and advocate for security guarantees.

"There was a clear commitment from China at the time to safeguard Ukraine's territorial integrity. […] And I would like to ask you to stick to our 10-point peace formula… Nuclear safety is the first issue on which China should play a role, along with the United States and some EU member states. […  Therefore, they cannot simply behave neutrally, as they have done up to now. China must support the peace formula we are proposing and advocate for security guarantees," Zelenskyy said.

He recalled Russia's occupation of Ukraine's nuclear power plant in Enerhodar.

"This is about nuclear safety, because the Russians have taken control of our nuclear power plant. This is a serious threat that no one can avert […] Nobody can have a strong influence on the Russians. And so there is only diplomacy," Zelenskyy said.