The French president wants to bring Ukraine and Russia to the negotiating table in the summer with the help of China.
French President Emmanuel Macron has developed a plan for a peaceful settlement of the war in Ukraine. If it is implemented, negotiations between Moscow and Kiev could take place this summer. Bloomberg reported this, citing sources familiar with Macron’s intentions.
Media interlocutors said that the French president has already instructed his foreign policy adviser, Emmanuel Bonn, to work with the head of China’s foreign affairs commission, Wang Yi, to create a structure that can be used as a basis for the future that negotiation.
What they say about the plan
“As President Xi Jinping stressed, there is no magic pill to get out of the crisis,” said an agency source at the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
He added that all parties need to “build mutual trust to create the conditions for a ceasefire and peace talks.”
France’s strategy calls for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to take place as early as this summer if all goes well, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“China supports Europe, based on its own fundamental and long-term interests, to seek the early resumption of peace negotiations and the establishment of a balanced, effective and sustainable European security system, taking into account the reasonable concerns of others.” other parties,” the Chinese representative said.
In this regard, an official from Macron’s office also confirmed the implicitness of the French president’s plan, but refused to comment on its details, adding that his country’s allies had been notified of such an initiative by Paris.
It is not yet clear whether Macron’s plan is supported by Kyiv and Western partners, who strongly reject proposals for a ceasefire that would allow Russia to keep annexed Ukrainian territories.
Moreover, many countries also doubt that China can serve as a neutral mediator, given its “unlimited friendship” with Russia. Note that on the eve of the country signed a new cooperation agreement between their armed forces.
spring offensive
Any possible negotiations between Russia and Ukraine depend on several conditions, including a successful counteroffensive by Kyiv. At the same time, some European officials fear that a dangerously high expectation is being placed on the attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which may not be decisive enough for Kyiv to liberate all the territory occupied by Russia, Bloomberg wrote.
According to journalists, a more realistic goal is an offensive about 30 kilometers to the south, which will allow the most powerful Ukrainian artillery to reach the Russian supply lines and create conditions for a deeper victory in 2024.
This means that Ukraine’s allies will need to increase support to allow future offensives to recapture more of the occupied territories, or that any potential ceasefire talks before then could result in Russia to retain large parts of Ukrainian territory.
The French president has previously said that he sees an important role for China and that through its relationship with Russia, he can “bring Moscow back to its senses.” So far, Beijing has shown no signs of being willing to pressure Moscow to withdraw its troops.
This week, senior diplomats from G7 countries, including France, backed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s “peace formula,” which includes the complete withdrawal of all Russian troops from the country’s territory.
Kremlin responded
Russian President Vladimir Putin has “no information” about Macron’s plan for talks between Ukraine and Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
According to him, the Russian side was not officially informed about the existence of the French plan.
“In fact, there are some reports that, they say, during a visit to China, the French side revealed some elements, but so far they have not shown themselves anywhere – these elements, Peskov said.
At the same time, he added that “any ideas that affect the interests of Russia deserve attention.”
“We must and must listen to them. Russia is ready to do this,” Peskov said.
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.