French President Emmanuel Macron has urged Beijing to talk sense into Russia over the war in Ukraine, telling his Chinese counterpart that Russia's aggression had dealt a blow to international stability.
Macron met on April 6 with President Xi Jinping in Beijing on a state visit, telling Xi he believes he can "count on you to bring back Russia to reason and everyone back to the negotiating table."
Macron, accompanied by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, said the West must engage China to help end the crisis and prevent "spiraling" tensions that could split global powers into warring blocs.
Xi responded by saying China "advocates for peace talks and seeks a political solution" and expressed hopes that Moscow and Kyiv could hold peace negotiations as soon as possible.
Von der Leyen said Xi expressed willingness to speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, but Xi did not mention a possible conversation with Zelenskiy in his own comments.
"It was interesting to hear that President Xi reiterated his willingness to speak" to Zelenskiy, Von der Leyen said. Xi said a conversation could happen when the "conditions and time are right," she added.
China has sought to position itself as a potential mediator in the conflict but its actions, including Xi's visit to Moscow in March, have been seen by the West as favoring Russia.
Putin and Xi professed friendship and pledged closer ties during their summit last month, and Putin tried to portray Russia and China as close allies united against U.S. hegemony and NATO expansion.
The United States remains concerned that China might provide lethal weapons to Russia and is skeptical along with other Western countries about a Chinese proposal for a political settlement in Ukraine.
The plan has been largely dismissed by the West due to China's refusal to condemn Russia for invading its sovereign neighbor and because it echoes Russian talking points, including blaming the West for the unprovoked invasion.
After meeting with Macron for 90 minutes, France said the discussions between the leaders were "frank and constructive," while China described them as "friendly" and "in-depth."
Macron also asked Xi to press Russia to comply with international rules on nonproliferation of nuclear weapons. The request comes after Putin said he would station tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine's neighbor Belarus.
Xi said all countries should respect commitments on not using nuclear weapons and "nuclear war shouldn't be waged." He also called on the international community to "refrain from any action that would lead to further deterioration of the crisis or even to it getting out of control."
Putin discussed expanding economic cooperation and bolstering defense ties with his Belarusian counterpart on April 6. The Kremlin talks involving senior officials from both countries and followed Putin's one-on-one meeting with President Alyaksandr Lukashenka on April 5.
Putin said there would be "close work on boosting cooperation under a union agreement that envisions close political, economic, and military ties between Belarus and Russia.
Russia used Belarusian territory as a staging ground for invading Ukraine and, in addition to his plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in the country, has maintained a contingent of troops and weapons there.