Scholz asks Xi Jinping to influence Putin to end the war against Ukraine
Xi also agreed to support a peace conference on Ukraine to be held in Switzerland
"China's word carries weight in Russia. So I asked Xi to put pressure on Russia to finally stop his insane campaign, withdraw his troops and end this horrible war," Scholz wrote on his Twitter account on Tuesday, 16 April.
According to the chancellor, Xi Jinping also agreed to support the peace conference on Ukraine to be held in Switzerland in mid-June.
"China and Germany intend to intensively and positively coordinate efforts to promote the organisation of the high-level conference in Switzerland and future international peace conferences," he wrote.
The meeting between the German chancellor and the Chinese president took place on the final day of Olaf Scholz's three-day trip to China.
In addition to the war in Ukraine, the leaders, accompanied by several ministers and a business delegation, discussed climate protection and economic cooperation between Germany and China.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on Olaf Scholz's tweet about his conversation with Xi Jinping:
"Dear Olaf, I am grateful to you and Germany for your leadership. Our shared priority is to restore full compliance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, including respect for the principles of territorial integrity and peaceful coexistence of states. I am convinced that the first Global Peace Summit in Switzerland can begin a real path to achieving a just peace for Ukraine. China's active role can certainly accelerate our progress on this path," Zelenskyy wrote.
According to its own statements, China is neutral in Russia's war against Ukraine. The West has criticised Beijing for not officially condemning Russia's full-scale invasion of the neighbouring country and for increasing economic and strategic cooperation with Russia over the two years of war in Ukraine.
During his meeting with the German Chancellor, Xi acknowledged the importance of cooperation between the great powers to address various challenges in a "new era of turbulence and upheaval" that poses risks to all of humanity.
"Together, we can ensure greater stability and security on Earth," he said, adding that China is committed to cooperation with Germany despite existing political differences.
Background. As reported, the US Treasury Department has threatened tough sanctions against Chinese firms if they support Russia's defence sector.
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