Emmanuel Macron appeals to Xi Jinping to ‘bring Russia to its senses’

Emmanuel Macron chats with Chinese president Xi Jinping during a welcome ceremony held outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing (Ng Han Guan, Pool/AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron appealed on Thursday to Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who received an effusive welcome from Vladimir Putin in Moscow last month, to “bring Russia to its senses” and help make “lasting peace” in Ukraine.

Mr Macron pointed to Chinese support for the UN Charter, which calls for respect of a country’s territorial integrity, and for nuclear agreements.