Emmanuel Macron is said to be looking to make arrangements with China that could see talks held between Russia and Ukraine “by the summer”.
The French president is believed to have asked his foreign policy advisor, Emmanuel Bonne, to reach out to his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi with the final aim of setting up negotiations.
On a recent trip to China, Mr Macron was seemingly unable to convince President Xi to finally speak with President Volodymyr Zelensky after a silence between the pair that has lasted since Moscow invaded Ukraine.