China’s President Xi Jinping and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron attend the official welcoming ceremony in Beijing, China, April 6, 2023. French President Emmanuel Macron encouraged Chinese President Xi Jinping to use China’s relationship with Russia to help bring an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Macron told Xi as they met Thursday in Beijing that Russia’s aggression in Ukraine has harmed international stability.
“I know I can count on you to bring back Russia to reason and everyone back to the negotiating table,” Macron said.
China has proposed a multi-part peace plan for Ukraine that includes a call for upholding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, but it does not call on Russia to withdraw its forces from Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials have said they will only engage in peace talks if Russia withdraws all its military, while Russia has insisted that Ukraine recognize areas that Russia has claimed to annex.