Russia explains why France cannot mediate conflict in Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Beijing on April 6 (Photo: Reuters).

"Right now, France is hardly able to play the role of mediator because Paris is actually on one side of the conflict. Moreover, Paris is also involved in this war both directly and indirectly," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on April 10.

In March, the Russian Foreign Ministry also stated that the four countries, the US, UK, France and Germany, cannot mediate the conflict in Ukraine due to their military support for Kiev and sanctions against Moscow. "With such an approach, the US, UK, France and Germany cannot claim to be neutral mediators in starting the peace process. They are not interested in resolving the crisis and are doing everything to prolong the confrontation as much as possible," the Russian Foreign Ministry statement stressed.

Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron visited China to promote a peace plan in Ukraine. Macron expressed his desire to work with China for “peace and stability”, saying Beijing had a “key role” in finding a path to peace in Ukraine.

Mr. Macron wanted to convince Beijing to use its relationship with Russia to bring peace to Ukraine, or at least prevent China from supporting Russia in its military campaign in Ukraine. However, in the joint statement afterwards, China did not make a specific commitment to this, only affirming that it "supports all efforts to restore peace in Ukraine" and opposes nuclear conflict.

It is unclear whether the French leader will make any specific proposals on ending the conflict in Ukraine during his visit. If so, they have not been made public.

France has been one of the main Western countries providing aid to Ukraine since the Moscow-Kiev conflict broke out last February. Paris has also joined in sanctions against Russia.

Meanwhile, China has so far maintained its neutrality on the Russia-Ukraine issue. Last month, Beijing released a 12-point peace plan for Ukraine, calling for an immediate ceasefire. However, Ukraine, the United States and some allies have not supported this view, arguing that Moscow could use the ceasefire to restore its forces for future attacks.

The Kremlin said: "China has a very effective and impressive potential for mediation... But the situation in Ukraine remains difficult and so far there is no prospect of a peaceful solution."

"We have repeatedly stated that Russia's goals can be achieved through different means. These are political and diplomatic solutions. But if political and military solutions are no longer possible, and in the case of Ukraine, they cannot take place, we regret that we have to use military means, that is, through this special military operation," Mr. Peskov told reporters on March 29.

Moscow accused the West of trying to prolong the conflict in Ukraine. "The United States and Europe, but first of all the United States, do not want Kiev to enter into peace talks. They do not even let Kiev think about it," Mr. Peskov accused.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/nga-neu-ly-do-phap-khong-the-lam-trung-gian-hoa-giai-xung-dot-o-ukraine-20230411084626346.htm