France: The French President Mr. Emmanuel Macron has announced that he will visit China in April 2023 to seek the Chinese government’s help to end the Russia-Ukraine War.

The announcement came after China published a 12-point position paper that called for a ceasefire and a “political settlement” to end the Russia-Ukraine War.

“The fact that China is engaging in peace efforts is a good thing. Peace is possible only if Russian aggression is halted, troops are withdrawn, and the territorial sovereignty of Ukraine and its people is respected,” the French President noted.

“China must help us put pressure on Russia so that it never uses chemical or nuclear weapons and that it stops its aggression as a precondition for talks,” Mr. Macron added.

Beijing has always tried to establish its position as a neutral party in the conflict, even as it has maintained close ties with Russia and helped scuttle a joint statement condemning the war at a G20 gathering in India.

The recently published Chinese position paper remarked that war benefits no one and called on all parties to “support Russia and Ukraine in working in the same direction and resuming direct dialogue as quickly as possible.”

The plan, released by the Chinese foreign ministry, further demanded an end to Western sanctions against Russia, the establishment of humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians, and steps to ensure the export of grain after disruptions caused a rise in global food prices in 2022.

The Ukrainian President Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed China’s efforts, stating that Kyiv needed to cooperate with Beijing to put an end to the war.

“China started talking about Ukraine, and that’s not bad. It seems to me that there is respect for our territorial integrity and security issues,” Mr. Zelensky commented.

“We need to work with China on this point. Our task is to unite everyone in order to isolate one,” the Ukrainian President added.

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