USA: If China does not attempt to find a political solution to the Ukraine crisis, Joseph Borrell, the head of foreign policy for the European Union, said it would be difficult for Europe to trust China.
The remark was part of a speech that Borrell had planned to give to a think tank in Beijing on Friday but had to postpone due to COVID-19, and the prepared remarks were made public on the EU website.
If China does not participate in the search for a political solution predicated on Russia's withdrawal from Ukrainian territory, Borrell warned, "it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the European Union to maintain a relationship of trust with China, which I would like to see."
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Borrell added that "neutrality in the face of the violation of international law is not credible" and urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as well as for China to give the Ukrainian people more humanitarian aid.
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Zelensky and Xi have not spoken since Russia invaded Ukraine in what Moscow refers to as a "special military operation" in February 2022. Xi has met Russian President Vladimir Putin twice.
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In a position paper on Ukraine published in February, China expressed its opposition to attacks on civilians and nuclear facilities, but it has resisted publicly criticising Russia for its conduct in Ukraine.