French President Emmanuel Macron is courting China as a prospective peacemaker in Ukraine after privately voicing concern that the U.S. will “betray” Kyiv.
Macron met with Chinese paramount leader Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People on Thursday, where he expressed hope that Beijing “will join our call and our efforts to achieve, as soon as possible, at the very least a ceasefire in the form of a moratorium on strikes targeting critical infrastructure.”
“We must continue to work towards peace and stability in the world, and in Ukraine and other regions affected by war,” Macron told Xi. “Our capacity to work together is decisive.”
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Macron sought to convince Xi that the Eastern European conflict was not only “a vital threat to European security” but also undermining “respect for the international order based on the rule of law.”
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A readout from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Xi expressed support for “all efforts conducive to peace, and hopes that parties can reach, through dialogue and negotiation, a fair, lasting and binding peace agreement that is accepted by all parties concerned.”
In a double-edged assessment seeking to balance Macron’s appeal and China’s alliance with Russia, Xi reportedly vowed “to play a constructive role in the political settlement of the crisis” but opposed “any irresponsible attempt to shift blame or smear others.”
The French president’s cozying up to Beijing comes the same day a German publication obtained a leaked transcript of his phone call with other European leaders in which he seems to question President Donald Trump’s peace agenda.
The leaked conversation — which included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb — took place on Monday ahead of U.S. officials’ meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin.
“There is a possibility that the U.S. will betray Ukraine on the issue of territory without clarity on security guarantees,” Macron told the European leaders.
“They are playing games, both with you and with us,” Merz said, according to the transcripts, adding that Zelensky needed to be “extremely careful in the coming days.”
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“We cannot leave Ukraine and Volodymyr alone with these guys,” Stubb said, seeming to refer to U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner — the primary White House negotiators with Russia and Ukraine.
Regardless of European worries, Witkoff and Kushner left the Kremlin on Tuesday without any meaningful progress to show for it — despite the negotiations dragging on for close to five hours.
“There is no compromise plan for Ukraine yet; some American proposals are acceptable to Russia, while others are not,” said Yuri Ushakov, a Putin aide, according to state media outlet TASS.
China has not condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine since the conflict began in 2022, ostensibly calling for peace while maintaining a position of strict neutrality.
Additionally, China is pressuring France to side against Japan in the feud surrounding Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks about the future security of Taiwan.
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Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged his French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot on Monday to “resolutely oppose any attempt by Japan to exploit the Taiwan question to stir up trouble and repeat past mistakes.”
Macron, who earlier this year was accosted by Beijing for comparing Taiwan to Ukraine, did not mention the future of the island territory in his public comments.