Bloomberg: Macron wants to work together with China on a plan for negotiations between Russia and UkraineMacron instructed his adviser to work out a plan for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, Bloomberg reports.
According to the plan of Paris, the dialogue between Moscow and Kiev should take place this summer. In implementing the plan, Macron is counting on China's help.
Anya Nussbaum
Alberto Nardelli— The French president intends to start negotiations this summer
— Macron instructed his adviser Emmanuel Bonn to interact with Beijing
French President Emmanuel Macron wants the world to forget a series of his diplomatic failures, and for this he offers China a plan that, as he believes, can lead to negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
Macron instructed his foreign policy adviser Emmanuel Bonne to establish joint work with the chief Chinese diplomat Wang Yi in order to create a mechanism that will become the basis for future negotiations. This was told by sources familiar with such plans.
According to the French strategy, if everything goes well, negotiations between Russia and Ukraine should take place this summer, these sources said on condition of anonymity.
During a recent visit to China, the French president failed to achieve his goal of persuading Xi to talk to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. They have not spoken for more than a year — since the Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict began. Macron caused outrage among allies last year when he said they should not "humiliate" Russia.
It is unclear whether Kiev and its allies support Macron's plans, many of which dismiss proposals for a cease-fire that will allow Russia to retain occupied territories. Many countries also doubt that China will be a neutral mediator because of its "boundless friendship" with Russia. Moscow and Beijing have repeatedly reaffirmed their determination to strengthen bilateral ties. In particular, on Monday there was another conversation about expanding cooperation between the military.
An official from Macron's office confirmed that Bonn plans to hold talks with Wang Yi, but declined to give details. He added that France informs the allies about all its initiatives. Answering questions, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that it did not know the source of such information and that "it is difficult to confirm its authenticity."
Spring Offensive
The negotiations will depend on several conditions, including the success of the Ukrainian spring offensive, which will allow Kiev to speak at future negotiations from a position of strength.
Some European leaders say with alarm that excessive hopes are being pinned on the Ukrainian counteroffensive. According to them, it may not be so successful, and Kiev will not be able to liberate all the territories occupied by Russia. A more realistic goal is to advance 30 kilometers in the south, which will allow Ukrainian artillery to be placed at a firing range along Russian supply routes and create conditions for a deeper breakthrough in 2024.
This means that the allies will have to step up assistance to Kiev to ensure future offensives to seize occupied territories. If the ceasefire talks take place before then, Russia will gain a foothold in vast areas of these territories.
Earlier, Macron said that China can play an important role, and that thanks to its relations with Russia, it will be able to "bring Moscow to reason." Beijing has not yet given any signals about its readiness to put pressure on Russia to withdraw its troops.
Senior diplomats from the "Big Seven", which includes France, this week approved Zelensky's "formula for peace", which provides for the complete withdrawal of all Russian troops from the territory of Ukraine.
Kiev has repeatedly stated that it will not discuss territorial concessions, and some of Ukraine's allies support this position, warning that a settlement leading to the freezing of the conflict will allow Russia to rearm and then launch a new offensive.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, for his part, does not demonstrate in any way that his goals have changed, and even more so that he is ready to withdraw troops from Ukrainian territory.
Macron's plan provides for the provision of long-term security guarantees to Ukraine <...>. The allies have not yet released details of the new measures to be agreed at the NATO summit in Lithuania in July. But it is already clear that their goal is to help Ukraine modernize its armed forces so that they can better interact with NATO troops.
At the same time, Ukraine's allies are working on measures to continue the supply of weapons and stocks of material and technical means, such as 155 mm ammunition.
Colum Murphy provided his material for the article
