White House “annoyed” at Macron's initiative for China to mediate between Ukraine, Russia

Bloomberg reported the information. 

The American agency notes that Russia's war against Ukraine is at a crucial stage. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy is trying to maintain the trust of his allies as he prepares for an expected spring counteroffensive. At this very moment, doubts about whether Kyiv will be able to regain the temporarily occupied territories have been fueled by Emmanuel Macron's initiatives for talks, jeopardizing the united front of Ukraine's allies.

"Macron's diplomatic pressure on Ukraine threatens unity,” allies warn.

“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," Bloomberg writes. 

The agency notes that last week, Emmanuel Macron and US President Joe Biden had a telephone conversation, which, according to official information, was "icy." 

"Macron’s office published a statement on Thursday to defuse the idea that the French president is at odds with the US on China and Taiwan, according to a French official speaking on condition of anonymity. Earlier, Biden’s office published a shorter statement saying the two “had reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.” By contrast, the French statement made no direct mention of Taiwan," Bloomberg notes. 

“When it comes to the war in Ukraine, people familiar with the Biden administration’s thinking said that the White House was annoyed by what they see as Macron freelancing on a delicate diplomatic issue without consulting with allies. These people, speaking on condition of anonymity because the conversations were private, also pointed out that it’s not the first time Macron has suggested a blueprint for peace and then had to retreat. Their view is that it’s clear the Chinese aren’t willing to use their influence with Putin, so it’s unlikely Macron can do any better this time," the agency writes.  

Bloomberg reminds that many of Macron's independent diplomatic efforts have failed. During his recent visit to China, the French president did not achieve his goal of convincing Chinese leader Xi Jinping to talk to Volodymyr Zelenskyy - they still have not spoken since the war broke out more than a year ago.

In addition, Macron traveled to Moscow in February 2022 to try to get assurances that Ukraine would not be attacked. French officials said at the time that they had received a commitment from Russian leader Vladimir Putin not to escalate the situation, which the Kremlin later denied. Two weeks later, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 

• On April 18, it was reported that Emmanuel Macron allegedly wants to approach China with a plan that he believes could potentially lead to talks between Russia and Ukraine this summer.