The German politician doubts that the head of the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin, is now ready to negotiate a “just peace” in Ukraine.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged Beijing not to supply weapons to Russia and influence Moscow to withdraw its troops from the neighboring country. The politician made the corresponding statement on March 2, speaking in the Bundestag, Reuters reports.
In particular, Olaf Scholz expressed his disappointment with Beijing’s reticent stance from condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the G20 finance ministers’ meeting, although he welcomes its efforts to de-escalate nuclear weapons.
“It’s good that China repeated a clear message against the use of nuclear weapons recently in its 12-point plan and spoke out unequivocally against the use of biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction. My message to Beijing is clear: use your influence in Moscow to encourage the withdrawal of Russian troops, and do not supply weapons to the aggressor Russia,” Scholz said in his address.
According to Scholz, it is fair to expect China to discuss its “peace plan” with the main stakeholder – the Ukrainians and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Also, the German chancellor does not yet believe that the head of the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin, is ready to negotiate a “just world” in Ukraine.
“Is Putin even ready to negotiate the return of these principles and a just world? At the moment, nothing indicates this. However, you can’t negotiate with a gun to your head – except for your own humility,” Scholz said during a speech.
Reuters notes that the speech of the German chancellor in the German parliament caused a storm of applause.
Also on March 2, it became known that Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra, on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi, warned China of the consequences if it considered the issue of arms supplies to Russia.
A few days earlier, it was also reported that Olaf Scholz responded to Volodymyr Zelensky’s accusations of insufficient support for Ukraine.
