Italy calls on China to ‘pressure’ Russia over Ukraine

Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Thursday appealed to his Chinese counterpart, who was on a visit to Rome, to put pressure on Russia to find a “just peace” in Ukraine.”China has to play a fundamental role to push in the direction of peace,” Tajani said in a ministry statement after talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.”I am sure that Beijing is ready to make a commitment in this direction,” he added. Wang is due to visit Russia at the end of a European tour.

In his talks with Wang, Tajani “reaffirmed the need to put pressure on Russia to foster conditions for a ‘just peace’, through support for diplomacy, effective sanctions, humanitarian assistance and justice for victims,” the statement said.When Yang visited Paris on Wednesday, he and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to contribute “towards peace” in Ukraine, Macron’s office said.

Relations between China and the European Union have become strained since 2021, when Brussels imposed sanctions on Beijing to protest its crackdown on the Muslim Uyghur community. China hit back with sanctions of its own.