European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen held a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in New York and asked Beijing to use its influence to encourage Russia to come to the negotiating table.
“Regarding Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, I congratulated Premier Li’s statement that both Europe and China have an interest in maintaining peace in the world. I explained Europe’s commitment to cut off the revenue streams that are fuelling Russia’s war. I made my plea for China to use its influence to help stop the killing and encourage Russia to come to the negotiating table. The time for diplomacy is now. This will send a strong signal to the world,” she wrote on social media X.
Von der Leyen added that “we both agreed that our relationship must continue to build trust and maintain regular coordination.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has already met Li Qiang, urging China to step up its efforts to make a significant contribution to the peace process.
China has positioned itself as a neutral party in Russia’s war against Ukraine and says it is not providing military assistance to either side, unlike the United States and other Western countries. But Beijing remains a close political and economic ally of Russia, and NATO members call China the “decisive leadership” of a war it has never condemned.
The PRC remains in active contact with Moscow. The two leaders, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, have met dozens of times and signed an unrestricted strategic partnership agreement in February 2022, less than three weeks before Russia launched a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine. China is Russia’s largest trading partner, helping it weather the effects of Western economic sanctions.