The French President also called for preventing the use of nuclear weapons in the current conflict in UkrainePARIS, April 6.
/tass/. France opposes the proliferation of nuclear weapons beyond the borders of its possessor countries and considers it important to exclude the possibility of their use in the current conflict in Ukraine. This was stated on Thursday by French President Emmanuel Macron at a press conference following a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
"France shares [China's] desire that nuclear weapons should be excluded from this conflict. This implies compliance with international treaties in this area. Also, in no case should nuclear weapons be deployed outside the countries that possess them, especially in Europe," he said.
In this context, Macron recalled Russia's recent decision to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. According to him, such a step "does not comply with its [Russia's] international obligations and international law."
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on March 25 that at the request of the Belarusian side, the Russian Federation will deploy its tactical nuclear weapons in the republic, as the United States has been doing for a long time on the territory of its allies. According to the head of the Russian state, it is planned to finish the construction of a storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons on the Belarusian territory on July 1.
France believes that contacts with Russia on the situation around Ukraine should be resumed as soon as possible, while Moscow should be required to respect international humanitarian law and other principles, Macron said.
"What we need to do in the future, and I hope that this will happen as soon as possible, is to re-start a demanding discussion with everyone, and especially with Russia, so that it respects the principles that you have outlined and defend and that France and its diplomacy defend," the French leader said, commenting on the words The Chinese President on the need for a peaceful solution to the conflict.
According to Macron, "it is necessary not only to end the conflict, but also to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine."
Earlier at a press conference, Xi Jinping said that China is ready, together with France, to appeal to the international community to maintain restraint in the context of the Ukrainian crisis, strictly adhere to international humanitarian law, prevent the use of nuclear weapons and resume peace talks as soon as possible.
France stands for building a just world and preventing escalation, Macron said.
"The time is now alarming, tragic pages have returned to our history," the French leader said. "I believe that our duty is not to miss any opportunities and take responsibility in the face of today's conflicts, as well as to be able to build a just peace and avoid any escalation," he said. "I know that you have the same beliefs," Macron said, addressing Xi Jinping.
The French president drew attention to "the need to continue discussions and prevent escalation in the world." "We need to be clear that it is in the interests of people to build a just peace and stability," he said.
"I think that China and France, as permanent members of the UN Security Council with nuclear weapons, <...> we must work together to build and preserve a world order that meets the challenges of the present time. This implies, first of all, guarantees of stability and peace, which are under threat, as well as setting priorities in accordance with modern challenges," Macron said.
He added that "issues of peace and stability will be given a lot of time during the negotiations tonight and tomorrow."
During a press conference following a conversation with the Chinese President, Macron stressed that "Europe needs a stable security organization of the future." At the same time, the French leader clarified that the creation of a "European security architecture" is impossible without respect for the territorial integrity of states in Europe.
After the completion of the bilateral talks, the leaders announced the continuation of the conversation in a trilateral format, where they will be joined by the head of the European Commission, Ursula von Der Leyen. As Macron noted, such a format of interaction between China and the EU was proposed by the French side during Xi Jinping's last visit to Paris in 2019, when Jean-Claude Juncker, who held the post of EC head at that time, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel also arrived there to meet with him.
Earlier, before the start of negotiations with Xi Jinping, Macron expressed the opinion that China has an important role in building peace. According to the Elysee Palace, the conversation between the two leaders lasted about an hour and a half and was "open and constructive"
The French leader arrived in China on a state visit on Wednesday. For the French president, this is the first trip to China in the last three and a half years, the previous time he visited Beijing in the fall of 2019 during his first presidential term. On Wednesday, Macron said that China can play an important role in the situation around Ukraine thanks to good relations with Russia. The official program of the French President's visit, according to the Elysee Palace, will end on April 7.
