Talking to France and Germany, China said to move towards halt in Ukraine war

​​​​​​​By Shweta Desai

PARIS (AA) – A Tuesday video call with China’s president resulted in Beijing expressing what might be its strongest line to date towards halting the ongoing war in Ukraine.

In the call with President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Xi Jinping supported the French-German initiative to obtain a cease-fire between Russia and Ukraine, the French presidency said in a statement.

The Chinese readout of the call, however, omitted the term cease-fire and instead called for “maximum restraint to prevent a large-scale humanitarian crisis.” “The priority is to avoid tensions from escalating, or even getting out of control,” it said.

The disparity may reflect China’s discomfort with the carnage of the war while trying not to undercut what has been a growing alliance with Moscow.

France said during the call, Jinping "regretted" the latest developments in the war and expressed support for a cease-fire. He also favored civilian access to humanitarian aid coordinated by the UN, the statement added.

In the second week of the war, the bombing and shelling of Ukrainian cities have intensified, leading to power cuts, lack of heating amid freezing temperatures, and a shortage of food, water, and medicine.

A close ally of Moscow, Beijing has maintained a neutral stand in the war while “fiercely opposing” Western sanctions against Russia.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said Xi stressed that China and the EU should “jointly support the Russia-Ukraine peace talks, promote the two sides to maintain the momentum of the negotiations.” It added that Beijing has proposed a six-point initiative on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, and is willing to provide further aid.

China also underlined support for France and Germany “to proceed from Europe's own interests, consider Europe's lasting security, adhere to strategic independence, and promote the building of a balanced, effective and sustainable European security framework,” the statement said.

The two sides also discussed the growing exodus of civilians and the role of sanctions in reaching a diplomatic solution, the French presidency said.

Russia's war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, has drawn international condemnation, led to financial sanctions on Moscow, and spurred an exodus of global firms from Russia.

At least 406 civilians have been killed and 801 others injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the war, according to the UN, while also cautioning that conditions on the ground make it difficult to verify the true number.

According to the UN, more than 2 million have fled the fighting and crossed over into neighboring European countries. Talks between Moscow and Kyiv have failed to reach a negotiated solution.