French President Emmanuel Macron is hoping for pressure from China to end the war in Ukraine. “I know I can count on you to talk Russia sensibly and bring everyone back to the negotiating table,” he told Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Macron and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, are currently in Beijing.
Talks for a “lasting peace” should resume “as soon as possible”, Macron said after a joint meeting on Thursday. Von der Leyen added that the Chinese government was not allowed to provide equipment to the Russian military “directly or indirectly”. “Arming the aggressor would be against international law and would seriously damage our relations. We expect China to play its part and support a just peace – a peace that respects Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, one of the cornerstones of the UN Charter,” said the President of the European Commission.
Xi condemns attacks on civilians
She herself strongly supports the peace plan of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Xi Jinping, on the other hand, called for a “balanced European security framework”, which has been repeatedly interpreted as a criticism of the US and NATO’s enlargement. At the meeting, the Chinese head of state generally did not condemn the war in Ukraine, but did condemn attacks on civilians. In addition, nuclear weapons should not be used and civilian nuclear installations such as the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant should be spared from attacks.
Xi left open whether he would use his influence over Russian President Vladimir Putin. He was in Moscow two weeks ago to meet with Putin, but has not once spoken to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on the phone since the start of the war. The Kremlin has already ruled out mediation by China. So far there is no prospect of a political solution, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. The situation with Ukraine is “complex”.
Other topics of the bilateral talks included the ratification of China’s international agreements, such as the UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and economic cooperation. Macron spoke out against decoupling from China. The country is of “great importance to Europe”.
Source: Krone
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