French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna on Wednesday invited China to use its “relations with Russia” to lead it to the path of peace, speaking in the presence of her German counterpart Annalena Berbock, France Presse reported, citing Agerpres.

“It is necessary for China to use its relations with Russia to make Russia better understand that it has reached an impasse and ask it to come to its senses” in order to “return to peace and not to the continuation of war,” he said. the head of French diplomacy shortly before meeting in Paris with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang.

Speaking in the report of the Council of Ministers, she noted that France’s position “regarding China and Ukraine” is “known”. “We talk about it openly, directly, with the honesty that friendship allows,” she added.

Catherine Colonna and Qin Gang “will discuss international crises, including Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as global challenges, especially in the perspective of the Paris Summit on a new global financial agreement,” Anne-Claire Legendre said, according to a statement from the Foreign Office. of France

Emmanuel Macron and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping invited in early April to hold peace talks on ending the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible on the occasion of the French president’s visit to Beijing. Both leaders then assessed that nuclear weapons “cannot be used.”

“We expect China to participate in the protection of the principles that underlie the international order,” Catherine Colonna said on Wednesday, emphasizing the “sovereignty of states,” “territorial integrity” and “the right to self-defense” that appear in the UN Charter. .

“China can, if it wishes, play an important role in ending the war”

His German counterpart, Annalena Burbock, on Tuesday criticized Beijing’s position in the Ukrainian conflict. “Neutrality means siding with the aggressor,” she lamented at a joint press conference in Berlin with Qin Gang.

“China can, if it wants to, play an important role in ending the war,” she added.

Annalena Burbok limited herself to calling for a “joint European message” addressed to China on Wednesday, reminding that as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China “has not only rights, but also responsibilities.”

China’s foreign minister began a mini-tour of Europe on Monday as his country agrees to play a mediating role in the war in Ukraine. After Germany and France, he will move to Norway.

China, which positions itself as a neutral interlocutor in the conflict in Ukraine despite its proximity to Russia, released a 12-point document in February outlining its position on the conflict. In this text, which is sometimes perceived as a peace plan, Moscow and Kyiv are called for negotiations.

A long-awaited phone conversation in late April between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyi, the first since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022, fueled hopes for progress on that front.

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