President Xi says China's top priority on Ukraine is to encourage ceasefire, end war

China's President Xi Jinping has said Beijing's top priority on Ukraine is to encourage a ceasefire and end the war with Russia. 

Xi said on Thursday that Beijing's foreign policy in regard to Ukraine could be summed up in one sentence: "Promote peace and dialogue."

The Chinese president stressed the need to find a listing political settlement to the Ukraine crisis.

Xi, who held a trilateral meeting with visiting French President Emanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von Der Leyen, said he hoped Europe will pursue a pragmatic and positive policy towards China.

China's leader said Europeans should be more independent and form an objective understanding of China.

Xi also expressed hope that China-EU relations had not been targeted, dependent on, or controlled by any third party, indirectly referring to the United States.

The visit to Beijing comes as European countries are grappling with economic hardships exasperated by the load added after sending Kiev huge shipments of military aid, amounting to billions of dollars.

Russia has warned the West that the delivery of weapons and munitions to Kiev will only prolong the war, and not dissuade Moscow from reaching its military and political objectives in the ex-Soviet state.

Meanwhile, Macron urged China to use its clout, "to bring Russia to its senses and bring everyone back to the negotiating table,” Macron said.

Macron asks Xi to 'bring Russia to its senses,' help end Ukraine war

French President Emmanuel Macron has asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping to urge Russia, a close ally, to end the war in Ukraine.

“We need to find a lasting peace … a peace that respects internationally recognized borders and that avoids any form of escalation. And I believe that it is also an important question for China, as much as it is for France and for Europe. This peace, this stability, is what we are trying to work towards,” Macron said.

Macron told the press upon arrival in Beijing that European countries must resist any cut in trade and diplomatic ties with China and reject what some have cast as an "inescapable spiral" of tensions between China and the West.

Macron's visit to Beijing, accompanied by von der Leyen, comes after years of souring relations with China over issues including a stalled investment pact, criticism of China's transparency on COVID-19, and China's reluctance to condemn Russia over the war in Ukraine.

China has blamed the United States and NATO for militarily "provoking" Moscow, forcing it to launch its special operation in Ukraine, while condemning the US-led economic sanctions slapped on Moscow, aiming to bring the Russian nation to its knees.

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