Macron in China: French president wants Xi Jinping to ‘bring Russia to its senses’

French President Emmanuel Macron told his Chinese counterpart to persuade Russia to end the ongoing war in Ukraine as he held a crucial meeting with Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday (April 6). In response, Xi said that he also hoped that the two warring nations could hold peace negotiations as soon as possible.

Xi greeted Macron at the grand Great Hall of the People with an elaborate military parade and after that, the leaders went on to hold their talks and discussed trade ties and issues of mutual interest.

Both Macron and Xi advocated the urgency to pursue peace talks and also reaffirmed that they are opposed to using nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

Pointing towards China’s support for the United Nations Charter, which calls for respect of a country’s territorial integrity, and for nuclear agreements, Macron said, “I know I can count on you, under the two principles I just mentioned, to bring Russia to its senses and bring everyone back to the negotiating table.”

“We need to find a lasting peace. I believe that this is also an important issue for China, as much as it is for France and for Europe,” Macron told Xi.

The Elysee Palace said that the talks were "frank and constructive", meanwhile Beijing said the discussions were "friendly" and "in-depth".

Ahead of the meeting with Xi's, Macron met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and the French president stressed the importance of dialogue between China and France "in these troubled times".

Ukraine takes centre stage

Ukraine emerged to be a headline point during the talks between Xi and Macron, and both leaders agreed on the need to focus on "peace talks". The French president said that Beijing can play a "major role" in finding a path to peace in the conflict and welcomed China's "willingness to commit to a resolution".

Macron's visit comes against the backdrop of Beijing's peace planto end the ongoing fighting in Ukraine. China had floated a peace plan as a 12-point foreign ministry paper for a gradual de-escalation of the war.

Macron said he is "counting" on Xi to persuade the Russian president, however, it appears to be unlikely, especially after the Chinese president's recent visit to Moscow and meeting with Vladimir Putin. Putin told his Chinese counterpart that their countries shared many "common goals" and also said that the visit was "symbolic".

Also, Beijing is officially neutral and Xi has never condemned the Russian invasion and has never spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky since the war started last year in February.

China is the biggest buyer of Russian oil and gas, and this trade has propped up the Kremlin's revenue amid sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine.

No prospect of Chinese mediation

The Kremlin said it saw no "prospect" for China to mediate the Ukraine conflict and said it had "no other way" than to press on with its offensive.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, "Undoubtedly, China has a very effective and commanding potential for mediation. But the situation with Ukraine is complex, so far there are no prospects for a political settlement. At the moment, there are no other ways for us aside from the continuation of the special military operation."

(With inputs from agencies)

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