The war in Ukraine is front and center during French President Emmanuel Macron three-day state visit to China as Macron looks to use Beijing’s influence with the Kremlin to support peace efforts.

Macron said he wants to “engage China towards a shared responsibility for peace” when it comes to Ukraine. The French president is also expected to warn the country against sending weapons to Russia and ask Chinese leader Xi Jinping to use its influence to support peace efforts instead.

'The alliance is stronger': Finland joins NATO, Russia warns of 'retaliatory measures'. Ukraine live updates

In a speech to French residents of China, Macron expressed hope that Beijing will “participate in initiatives that are useful to the Ukrainian people.”

President Joe Biden and Macron both agree the war in Ukraine could end "today" if Putin left its neighbor, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby told reporters Wednesday regarding the call Biden had with the French leader ahead of his meeting with Xi.

"We have long said that we would welcome China condemning this invasion," Kirby added. "We would welcome China enforcing and implementing the international sanctions to hold Mr. Putin accountable, and to date we haven't seen that. But we still urge China, if they truly want to accelerate and end to the war, to join the rest of the international community in condemning what Mr. Putin is doing."

Despite Macron’s efforts, French officials don’t expect a major shift in Beijing’s position on Russia. While China has claimed to hold a neutral stance on Russia's war with Ukraine and called for a cease-fire and peace talks, Beijing has refused to criticize Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions in Ukraine.

However, Macron and Xi may agree on the Kremlin’s latest plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. Without naming Russia, China has made its opposition clear.

Trade is another major focus for the French leader during his visit. Macron invited European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to his meeting with Xi. The move is meant to show overall European unity on economic issues.

The joint meeting comes after von der Leyen warned the European Union last week to establish measures to protect trade and investments China could exploit for its own security and military purposes.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Macron, von der Leyen to meet with Xi for talks on Ukraine, trade