Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for peace talks over Ukraine after French President Emmanuel Macron urged him to “bring Russia to its senses,” but Mr Xi gave no indication Beijing would use its leverage as Vladimir Putin’s diplomatic partner to press for a settlement.
Mr Xi gave no sign China, which declared it had a “no limits friendship” with Moscow before last year’s invasion, had changed its stance since calling for peace talks in February.
“Peace talks should resume as soon as possible,” Mr Xi said.
He called on other governments to avoid doing anything that might “make the crisis deteriorate or even get out of control.”
Beijing, which sees Moscow as a partner in opposing US domination of global affairs, has tried to appear neutral in the conflict but has given Mr Putin diplomatic support and repeated Russian justifications for the February 2022 attack.
Mr Xi received an effusive welcome from Mr Putin when he visited Moscow last month, giving the isolated Russian president a political boost.
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The Chinese leader said “legitimate security concerns of all parties” should be considered, a reference to Moscow’s argument that it attacked Ukraine because of the eastward expansion of NATO, the US-European military alliance.
During talks earlier, Mr Macron appealed to Mr Xi to “bring Russia to its senses and bring everyone back to the negotiating table”.
Mr Macron pointed to Chinese support for the United Nations Charter, which calls for respect of a country’s territorial integrity.
He said Mr Putin’s announcement of plans to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus violated international agreements and commitments to Mr Xi’s government.
Mr Macron was accompanied to Beijing by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen in a show of European unity.
Ms Von der Leyen said she encouraged Mr Xi to call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and the Chinese leader “reiterated his willingness to speak when conditions and time are right”.
“I think this is a positive element,” Ms von der Leyen said.
Ms Von der Leyen warned China against sending military equipment to Russia, echoing a warning Wednesday by NATO’s 31 member governments of “severe consequences” for shipments of weapons or ammunition.
China is the biggest buyer of Russian oil and gas, which helps prop up the Kremlin’s revenue in the face of Western sanctions. That increases Chinese influence, but Mr Xi appears reluctant to jeopardise that partnership by pressuring Mr Putin.
