French President Emmanuel Macron has approached China with a plan that he believes could potentially lead to talks between Russia and Ukraine.
This is reported by Bloomberg.
Macron is said to have instructed his foreign policy adviser, Emmanuel Bonnet, to work with China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, to create a structure that could be used as a basis for future talks between Russia and Ukraine.
The publication's sources said that the French strategy foresees that the negotiations will take place this summer, if all goes well.
At the same time, many countries are skeptical that China can serve as a neutral mediator, given its "boundless friendship" with Russia.
A spokesman for Macron's office confirmed that Bonn planned to speak with Wang, but declined to comment on the details, adding that France's allies had been informed of any French initiative.
It is noted that any future negotiations will depend on several conditions, including a successful spring offensive by Ukraine, which, according to sources, will put Kyiv in a position of strength during any negotiations.
At the same time, some European officials are concerned that dangerously high expectations are placed on the Ukrainian counteroffensive, which may not be decisive enough for Kyiv to free all territories occupied by Russia. A more realistic goal is an advance about 30 km to the south, which would put Ukraine's most powerful artillery within range of Russian supply lines and set the stage for a deeper breakthrough in 2024.
This means that Ukraine's allies will need to increase their support in order for our country to be able to retake more of the occupied territories, as any potential cease-fire negotiations until then could result in Russia remaining entrenched in large parts of Ukrainian territory.
Earlier, Macron said that he sees an important role for China and that thanks to his relations with Russia, he could "bring Moscow to its senses." So far, Beijing has shown no signs that it is ready to pressure the Russian Federation to withdraw its troops.
According to the sources, Macron's plan will be based on long-term security guarantees for Ukraine, which will be aimed at deterring Russia from future acts of aggression. The allies have not yet released details of the measures, which are to be agreed at a summit of NATO leaders in Lithuania in July, but they will be aimed at helping Ukraine modernize its armed forces and become more compatible with NATO's military.
It will be recalled that in early April, French President Emmanuel Macron visited China and held talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
During the meeting, the presidents agreed to start hard work on achieving peace between Russia and Ukraine.
However, according to the media, Macron failed to change Xi Jinping's position regarding the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine.
