Macron calls on China to pressure Putin on the war in Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron called on China to pressure russia to end the war in Ukraine and asked Beijing not to supply moscow with weapons.

Macron said he plans to visit China in early April, France24 reports.

Speaking a day after China called for urgent peace talks as it released its plan to end the war in Ukraine, Macron said peace was only possible if "the russian aggression was halted, troops withdrawn and territorial sovereignty of Ukraine and its people was respected."

Macron positively assessed the fact that China is trying to make efforts to end the war in Ukraine. At the same time, he urged Beijing "not to supply any weapons to russia."

He also sought Beijing's help to "exert pressure on Russia to ensure it never uses chemical or nuclear weapons and it stops this aggression prior to negotiations".

China's 12-point paper calling for a "political settlement" of the war follows accusations from the West that China is considering arming russia, a claim Beijing has rejected.

Timed to coincide with the first anniversary of russia's invasion of Ukraine, the paper urges all parties to "support russia and Ukraine in working in the same direction and resuming direct dialogue as quickly as possible."

It also makes clear its opposition to not only the use of nuclear weapons, but the threat of deploying them after russian president vladimir putin threatened to use russia's nuclear arsenal in the war.

Ukraine's President Zelensky said on Friday that he does not like all the points of the peace plan proposed by China, but some "can be worked on."