Beijing (agencies)
France confirmed that it wants China to send “clear messages” to Russia regarding the Ukrainian crisis, considering that Beijing can play a “pivotal role” in ensuring respect for international law.
This came during the visit of French Foreign Minister Stephane Ségournet to Beijing yesterday, as France and China sought to strengthen their bilateral relations over the past years.
During his visit to Paris in February, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi welcomed President Emmanuel Macron's “independent” stance on foreign policy.
France has recently taken more rigid positions in its support for Ukraine, which reached its peak with Macron's refusal last February to rule out the idea of sending Western forces to Ukraine.
Sigourney said during his visit to Beijing yesterday that his country wants “China to send clear messages to Russia” regarding the crisis.
He added during a press conference with his counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing, “We are convinced that sustainable peace will not be achieved unless it is negotiated with the Ukrainians,” adding, “There will be no security for the Europeans unless peace is achieved in accordance with international law.”
He stressed, “This is essential for us, and therefore France is determined to maintain a close dialogue with China,” considering that the latter can play a “pivotal role” in ensuring respect for international law.
Sigournet's visit to Beijing is the second by a French foreign minister in six months, after Catherine Colonna arrived in the Chinese capital in November. Also, Macron visited China in April 2023, where a massive reception was held for him at a university in the south of the country.
Sigourney's visit comes within the framework of commemorating the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France.
On the ground, the governor of Belgorod Province, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said on his channel on the Telegram application yesterday that the Ukrainian armed forces launched an attack with more than ten drones on ten areas of the province.
Gladkov added that “ten out of 21 districts in Belgorod were attacked,” according to what the Russian TASS news agency reported.
Gladkov said that a total of 50 private homes were damaged, in addition to a public facility and 30 cars, adding that a power line in the Valoisky area was also damaged as a result of the attack.
On the other hand, the military administration of the city of Kiev said yesterday that Russia had used 5 of the new Tsirkon hypersonic missiles to attack Kiev since the beginning of the year. The administration said in a post on Telegram that these attacks are among more than 180 Russian attacks using drones and missiles launched on the Ukrainian capital in the first three months of the year.
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