China, India can have 'greater' role in mediating Ukraine war: Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron underlines that China and India can play a greater role in mediations between Russia and Ukraine in light of the ongoing war.
China and India can play a more vital role in terms of mediating the Ukraine conflict to curb offensives, chiefly land offensives, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday in light of the ongoing G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia.
"I'm convinced that China can play a greater mediation role [in the Ukrainian conflict] in the coming months to prevent the resumption of offensives, especially land offensives after the beginning of February," Macron told a press conference following the G20 summit.
"I had a chance to discuss this matter with [Chinese] President Xi Jinping, and I agreed to visit Beijing in early 2023 so that we can intensify our dialogue on this matter," the French president added.
According to Macron, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed during bilateral talks on the sidelines of the summit his desire to become one of the mediators contributing to a solution to the Ukraine crisis.
"I also had an exchange with Prime Minister Modi. The following is very clear: [India] is ready for greater cooperation on all global issues and is willing to re-engage in mediation with Russia," Macron revealed.
A French official said Monday that President Emmanuel Macron will call Russian President Vladimir Putin following the G20 Summit.
The senior Elysee official told journalists that Macron "will call him after the G20," lamenting Putin's "isolation" over the war in Ukraine.
Unlike other European leaders, the French President has kept in contact with Putin and will "continue to talk," as per the official. Macron will also tell China's Xi Jinping that "pressuring" Russia over the war in Ukraine is in Beijing's "interest."
Check out: The G20 summit; why is it important?
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Tuesday with the presidents of the United States, France, and Indonesia, as well as his British and Dutch counterparts, on the sidelines of the summit taking place between November 15-16 on the Indonesian island of Bali.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo held a meeting with Modi at the building the summit is being held in. The latter also held discussions with US President Joe Biden and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, the Indian PM's press service said, posting photos from the meetings on the official Twitter account.
The G20 coalition announced a unanimous declaration at the close of the summit, which stated the need to abide by international law and a multipolar world order, which if combined, would maintain peace and stability.
The summit's joint statement stressed that it is considered "unacceptable" to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons, adding that most member states denounced the war in Ukraine, though some others had diverging views on the matter.
The war in Ukraine, according to the statement, is deteriorating the global economy, limiting its development, increasing inflation, impeding supply chains, and threatening food and energy security. the statement further emphasized the importance of a decision being made by the G20 members to avoid famine and instead build food supply chains.
G20 states' central banks will work on addressing financial limitations while focusing on global inflation while stressing that monetary stimulus policies have to be temporary solutions directed at aiding those in need without raising prices.
The summit’s host, Indonesia, called for the war in Ukraine to stop, and urged unity and focus on issues such as inflation, hunger, and rising energy prices, which increased as a result of the war in Ukraine.