Ukraine, von der Leyen to China: “Use your influence to bring Russia to negotiations”

Brussels – After accusations and sanctions for supporting Moscow in its war against Ukraine, the European Union is now trying its hand at diplomacy, asking China to use its weight to bring the Kremlin leader to the negotiating table. The United Nations General Assembly meeting provided an opportunity for a bilateral meeting between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang to try to discuss the situation in Ukraine. 

“I have asked China to use its influence to help end the killings and encourage Russia to sit at the negotiating table,” von der Leyen stated at the end of the meeting with the head of the government of the People’s Republic. “The time for diplomacy has come,” continued the president of the EU executive, convinced that a clear Chinese initiative “would send a strong signal to the world.”  

Von der Leyen is therefore asking Beijing for help in ending the conflict that has dragged on since February 2022, and it matters little whether tensions persist between the parties. In the last few months, Brussels has openly attacked China for its support of Putin’s Russia, going so far as to include the Asian country on the list of enemies of the European Union.

 She adopts a pragmatic approach, aware of the region’s geographical position and political-economic strength that makes Beijing one of the key players, with a capacity for action and pressure that the Europeans lack. 

“I welcomed Prime Minister Li’s statement that both Europe and China share an interest in maintaining world peace,” von der Leyen continued, expressing once again the European Union’s position in favour of negotiations even in the event of ongoing conflict.