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Macron Presses Xi on Ceasefire as U.S. Envoys Engage Moscow and Lukoil Sanctions Ease

Parallel U.S.-Russia contacts alongside a sanctions tweak have unsettled European unity.

Overview

  • In Beijing, Emmanuel Macron told Xi Jinping that China has a decisive capacity to influence a Ukraine ceasefire, as Xi reiterated support for “all efforts favorable to peace” and signaled interest in deeper ties in aerospace and nuclear energy.
  • Macron traveled with a roughly 100-strong delegation, including about 40 CEOs, seeking Chinese investment and sector deals across aviation, rail, nuclear, artificial intelligence, and agriculture.
  • U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held talks in Moscow on a 28-point plan and then met Ukraine’s negotiator Rustem Umerov in Miami, while the U.S. Treasury allowed certain overseas Lukoil service-station operations to continue.
  • From India, Vladimir Putin demanded Ukrainian forces leave the Donbass, warning Russia would seize the territory by force if they do not withdraw.
  • A report that Macron warned EU leaders of a potential U.S. betrayal on Ukrainian territory is disputed by the Élysée, as European officials also weigh using frozen Russian assets.