Scholz to Xi: Don’t supply weapons to Russia

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said this in an address to the Bundestag on the occasion of the anniversary of his previous speech when he announced Zeitenwende, or the turning point, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"My appeal to Beijing is clear: use your influence on Moscow so that they withdraw their troops, and do not supply any weapons to the aggressor Russia," the chancellor said.

Scholz praised China's position regarding the inadmissibility of using nuclear arms and weapons of mass destruction, calling it the one that leads to de-escalation, which was also laid down among Beijing's 12 proposals for restoring peace. At the same time, Scholz noted, it would be reasonable and fair to expect that China will discuss its initiatives with the affected party, namely Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelensky.

According to Scholz, it is disappointing that during the latest meeting of the G20 at the level of finance ministers, China was not ready to confirm the consensus reached at the Bali summit last November on a clear condemnation of Russia's war of aggression.

The head of the German government noted that Berlin speaks of the need to condemn aggression and return Russia to compliance with international norms not only with partners, but also with countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. He emphasized the importance of Putin hearing the call to "withdraw your troops" from the majority of the countries in the international community. In this context, he mentioned that 140 countries last week supported the resolution of the UN General Assembly.

Recently, reports have been circulating that China is looking into providing the Russian Federation with certain types of weapons. The head of China's diplomacy, Wang Yi, recently visited Moscow, while Putin's closest ally, the self-proclaimed leader of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, later came to Beijing.

Photo: bundeskanzler.de