China supported the desire of Europe to resume negotiations between Russia and Ukraine

China supports the European side in the desire to resume negotiations on Ukraine as soon as possible, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a briefing. transmits TASS.

“China supports the European side, which, guided by its own fundamental and long-term interests, [стремится] resume peace talks as soon as possible [между Россией и Украиной]”, – said the diplomat, commenting on the intentions of French President Emmanuel Macron to offer China a peace plan that could lead to the resumption of negotiations.

As Wenbin pointed out, Beijing is in favor of creating an “effective and sustainable framework for ensuring security in Europe.” The Chinese diplomat added that during Macron’s recent visit to China, he and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed the Ukrainian crisis.

Previously Bloomberg, citing sources wrotethat Macron is going to approach China with a plan that he believes could lead to talks between Russia and Ukraine. According to the interlocutors of the agency, “if everything goes well,” negotiations can take place as early as this summer. At the same time, in the Kremlin saidthat they do not know about this plan and that Moscow did not receive anything from the French side.

Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov has already declaredthat France is now unlikely to claim the role of a mediator in the conflict in Ukraine. The Kremlin spokesman stressed that Paris is indirectly and directly involved in the conflict on the side of Ukraine.

During an informal meeting with Macron in Guangzhou, Xi Jinping notedthat the causes of the crisis in Ukraine are complex and any prolongation of it is detrimental to all parties. Then Xi stressed that Beijing welcomes the proposals of Paris on the political and diplomatic settlement of the conflict in Ukraine and is ready to support them.

Against the backdrop of the start of a special operation in Ukraine, Western countries imposed large-scale sanctions against Russia and began to provide military assistance to Kyiv. US President Joe Biden has previously stressed that the country will support Ukraine “for as long as it takes.” France is also one of the countries that supply Ukraine with weapons.

The Russian authorities have repeatedly criticized the supply of Western weapons to the Ukrainian army. In particular, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, warned that pumping Ukraine with weapons brings NATO closer to the dangerous line of a direct military clash with Russia. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that the supply of long-range weapons would only expand the geography of the special operation.