Macron: now is not the time for negations between Ukraine and Russia
French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview with the French newspaper Les Échos that now is not the time for negotiations in the Russian war against Ukraine and China also understands this.
The journalist asked Macron what after his dialogue with Xi can be expected from China regarding the war in Ukraine.
"I think China is making the same observation as we are, which is that the weather is currently military. Ukrainians are resisting, and we are helping them. It’s not the time for negotiations, even if we prepare them, we will have to set milestones," Macron said.
He stressed that the purpose of the dialogue with China is to consolidate common approaches.
First, according to Macron, it is about supporting the principles of the UN Charter. Second, a "clear reminder" of nuclear threats and that China must figure out the consequences of the fact that Russian president Vladimir Putin announced plans to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus days after he made a commitment not to do so. Thirdly, Macron stressed, this is a "very clear reminder" of humanitarian law and the protection of children. Fourthly, there must be a universal desire for a concerted and lasting peace.
"I would like to note that Xi Jinping spoke about the architecture of European security. But there can be no security architecture as long as there are invaded countries or frozen conflicts in Europe. So you can see that a common matrix emerges from this. Is Ukraine a priority for Chinese diplomacy? Probably not. But this dialogue allows us to soften the comments we heard about China's complacency with Russia," Macron said.
On April 6, Macron called on the Chinese president to influence his close ally Russia to end the war in Ukraine.