Deutsche Welle (English edition)
Germany and France agree on climate cooperation with China
Chancellor Angela Merkel has spoken to the presidents of China and France, agreeing to greater cooperation on climate change. Meanwhile, US climate envoy John Kerry met his counterpart in China.
Chancellor Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday with the three leaders agreeing to work more closely on climate change.
As the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide, China faces a daunting task if it is to meet its already existing climate commitments.
What did the leaders discuss?
German government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said Merkel and Macron welcomed Xi's reaffirmation of China's goal of becoming carbon-neutral before 2060.
They also expressed support for China to adjust its shorterterm emissions goals.
At the talks, Xi is reported to have warned of the possibility that climate change could be used as a tool to disparage some countries for not doing enough.
"Responding to climate change is a common cause of all mankind and it should not become a geopolitical bargaining chip, a target for attacks on other countries or an excuse for trade barriers," the official Xinhua news agency cited Xi as saying.
The leaders also called for greater cooperation on protecting biodiversity ahead of an October conference on the issue in the Chinese city of Kunming.
China also talks climate with US
The talks came as US special envoy for climate change John Kerry was in Shanghai for a meeting with his counterpart Xie Zhenhua.
The pair represent the world's largest economies — and the biggest emitters of carbon dioxide. They were meeting ahead of an upcoming virtual climate summit on April 22-23. Some 40 world leaders, including Xi, have been invited.
The US and other nations are expected to announce more ambitious targets for cutting emissions during the summit. They were also expected to pledge more help for action on climate change by less wealthy nations.
The US officially rejoined the Paris Agreement on climate change in February after former President Donald Trump pulled the nation out of the accord.
In an interview with the Associated Press on Friday, China's Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng said that China was unlikely to announce targets beyond its existing commitments.
"For a big country with 1.4 billion people, these goals are not easily delivered," Le said. "Some countries are asking China to do more on climate change. I am afraid this is not very realistic."
The UK-based climate data provider TransitionZero on Thursday said China needed to halve carbon dioxide emissions from its coal-fired power plants by the end of the decade if it was to achieve its existing aims.
rc/aw (Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa)
not words. "It's time to stop talking and to make decisions," he said on the eve of the talks in an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro.
"Europe's security depends on Ukraine's security," Zelenskyy said, adding his country is seeking support from NATO as he once again expressed Kyiv's determination to join the military alliance.
"If the EU and Emmanuel Macron consider us as a true member of the European family, they must act accordingly."
Zelenskyy on Friday also emphasized his commitment to peace, telling the Italian newspaperLa Repubblica, "Since the beginning of my mandate I and my staff have done everything possible to intensify negotiations and reach a peaceful solution."
Both the US and NATO have described Moscow's military deployment on along the border as larger than at any point since 2014.
More than 14,000 people have died in seven years of combat between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. The conflict erupted in the immediate aftermath of Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.
Violations of an already vulnerable truce have become a common occurrence in recent weeks across Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland known as the Donbass.
Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK and former Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko told DW that the level of fear in Ukraine has increased of late.
"What we fear the most is a full-scale invasion of Ukraine," he said. "Today, Kyiv authorities have publicized the map of the bomb shelters to the population, just in case. People started buying imperishable foods. So, that's how high expectations and the fears are in Ukraine."
Ukraine has become much stronger with Western allies' support, "still, the forces are incomparable" to Russia, Prystaiko said.
Kremlin says Merkel and Macron should rein in Ukraine
The Kremlin, however, took a rather different view of what should happen at the conference: "It would be very important for us that Macron as well as Merkel use their influence ... to transmit the Ukrainian head of the state the message of the necessity of an unconditional ceasefire along the line of contact," said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
Moscow also announced on Friday that it intended to shut down areas of the Black Sea to foreign military vessels for the next six months as it conducts naval maneuvers in the area. Though many see the move as a direct provocation, Russia says the closures will not affect the Kerch Strait, which connects the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea and has been the site of ongoing naval tensions between Moscow and Kyiv.