Macron’s push to get China’s help on Ukraine unraveling

French President Emmanuel Macron’s diplomatic efforts to enlist China’s help to intervene in Russia’s war in Ukraine suffered another blow.

The Chinese ambassador to France, Lu Shaye, told the French network LCI that the ex-Soviet states don’t have sovereign status as independent nations, a statement that ignores the internationally recognized borders in Eastern and Central Europe, Bloomberg reports.

Lu’s comments triggered furious reactions, particularly in the former Soviet bloc countries Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which announced plans to summon Chinese diplomats in their capitals. The Biden administration had already expressed irritation with Macron on his outreach to China, according to people familiar with the matter.

On April 24, the Chinese embassy in France removed the transcript after initially posting it in both Chinese and French on its official WeChat account. The interview hasn’t been published on the embassy’s official website and it wasn’t immediately clear why the transcript was taken down from WeChat.

The Chinese embassy and China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment about its removal.

Chinese embassy removes interview transcript on ex-Soviet states

Lu’s April 21 remarks undercut Macron’s push to use talks between his foreign policy adviser Emmanuel Bonne and China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, to establish a framework that could be used as a basis for future negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.

Russia’s war in Ukraine is at a crucial point, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy struggling to maintain the confidence of his allies as he prepares for an expected spring counteroffensive to try to regain territory occupied by Russian forces. Doubts about whether Kyiv can take back land have been fed by Macron’s push for negotiations, putting allies’ united front at risk.

Macron’s bid to engage in such a sensitive diplomatic effort without first consulting all European Union members was criticized by allies as premature and as one that could jeopardize the bloc’s unity. The French leader’s approach to Ukraine hasn’t gone down well in Washington either, according to people familiar with the matter.

Lu, when asked on April 21 if he considered Crimea — a peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014 — part of Ukraine, said that “ex-Soviet Union countries” don’t have effective status under international law. The statement appears to be in conflict with China’s own recognition of the independence of the Baltic states in 1991.

France’s foreign ministry said it took note of the ambassador’s comments with “dismay” and urged China to clarify whether these comments reflect its official position. The EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said the remarks were “unacceptable”.

The comments from Lu, who is known for making repeated hardline statements on TV, sounded like yet another cold shower on Macron’s hopes to get Beijing to engage with Ukraine. While China casts itself as neutral, its stance has boosted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine.

Some eastern members of the EU have bristled at Macron’s visions for the bloc, particularly when he speaks of European strategic autonomy and relying less on the US. He drew particular criticism following a state visit to China earlier this month when he called for Europe to avoid being dragged into a conflict between Beijing and Washington over Taiwan.