The head of French diplomacy said that a Chinese envoy would be in France “at the very beginning of next week” to discuss a settlement of the war in Ukraine.
A Chinese envoy, sent by Beijing to Europe to discuss a “political settlement” of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, will be in Paris “at the very beginning of next week”, the French Foreign Minister announced on Wednesday.
Catherine Colonna made this announcement during a hearing before the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee. The Chinese envoy Li Hui was Tuesday and Wednesday in kyiv and is due to go to Warsaw on Friday.
Will China use its influence?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, buoyed by new promises of Western weapons, and European countries hope that China will use its leverage over Russia to help end the war.
On Wednesday, Catherine Colonna reiterated the “unfailing support” for Ukraine. France will express it again “on the occasion of the NATO Summit in Vilnius on July 11 and 12 where, on the strength of our leading contribution to the strengthening of our eastern flank, we intend to strengthen the links between the Ukraine and the Atlantic Alliance,” she said.
She repeated the issue: “Beyond even Ukraine, it is the future of an international system based on law, and the refusal to see the logic of the strongest prevail or to reward aggression” .
