Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday held their first phone call since the beginning of the Russian invasion last year.

Xi appealed for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, warning "there is no winner in a nuclear war," state media said, in a long-anticipated conversation after Beijing said it wanted to act as a peace mediator.

Xi's government will send a "special representative" to Ukraine for talks about a possible "political settlement," said a government statement reported by state TV.

China has tried to appear neutral in the war but refused to criticize Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a joint statement before the February 2020 invasion saying their governments had a "no limits friendship."

Xi's government released a peace proposal in February and called for a cease-fire and talks.

"Negotiation is the only viable way out," state TV said in a report on Xi's comments to Zelenskyy.

"There is no winner in a nuclear war," the report said. "All parties concerned should remain calm and restrained in dealing with the nuclear issue and truly look at the future and destiny of themselves and humanity as a whole and work together to manage the crisis."