France urges China to bring Russia to negotiating table over war in Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron has urged China's Xi Jinping to bring Russia to the negotiating table over the war in Ukraine, officials said after the pair met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Indonesia.

Macron met with his counterpart Xi Jinping for around one hour on Tuesday ahead of the opening of the international G20 summit in Bali.

After they shook hands, Macron is reported to have said that France and China must "unite forces to respond... to international crises like Russia's war in Ukraine".

He called on Xi to "pass messages to Russian President Putin to avoid escalation and return to the negotiating table".

He added: "The consequences of this conflict go beyond Europe's borders and could be overcome with close cooperation between France and China."

Call for de-escalation

Macron's office said the two leaders had agreed it was urgent to de-escalate the conflict in Ukraine and reaffirmed their position on preventing the use of nuclear weapons, echoing a point covered in Xi's meeting with US President Joe Biden on Monday.

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However, a Chinese summary of the talks made no mention of Ukraine until the final paragraph.

"President Xi made the point that China's position on the Ukraine crisis is clear and consistent; China stands for ceasefire, cessation of the conflict and peace talks," the Chinese statement said, adding that China would continue to work in its own way to play a constructive role.

China's statement focused more on respecting bilateral interests and a call for France to provide a fairer, more just and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies in France.

"China and France, China and Europe should ensure that their relationship develops on the right long-term track to inject stability and positive energy into the world," the Chinese leader said.

Xi also said he was ready to "strengthen cooperation" between China and France in order to "face together the global challenges of energy security, climate change (..) and sustainable development".

Russia under pressure

Russia is facing mounting diplomatic pressure to end its eight-month war in Ukraine, which has had disastrous consequences for global food and energy prices, topics to be addressed by world leaders.

Vladimir Putin was forced to skip the summit. 
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky - fresh from a visit to liberated Kherson - delivered an impassioned video appeal to G20 leaders on Monday.

Zelensky told leaders that they could "save thousands of lives" by pressing for a Russian withdrawal.

"I am convinced now is the time when the Russian destructive war must and can be stopped," he said.

Putin's delegate, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, remained in his seat throughout Zelensky's address, diplomatic sources told  French news agency AFP.

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The veteran diplomat had preparations for the summit disrupted by two trips to a Bali hospital in as many days for an undisclosed ailment.

The G20 is expected to issue a statement in which "most" members of the group strongly condemn the Russian offensive in Ukraine, a senior US official said on Tuesday.

European Council president Charles Michel signalled that while a draft agreement had been agreed to in principle, there was still work to be done.

 "I am absolutely convinced that we should try to use the meeting today and tomorrow to convince all of the parties to put more pressure on Russia," he told media as the summit opened.

France for its part has kept an olive branch extended. Macron has said he will call Putin after the G20 summit, according to a senior French official.