The German president called on China to urge Russia to end the war against Ukraine

German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called on China to use its influence on Russia to bring about an end to Russian attacks on Ukraine and the start of serious peace talks. He made this statement during a speech at Peking University on October 29.

According to him, China, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council with close ties to Russia, must join these joint efforts. He emphasized that Russia’s war of aggression is an attack on one of the fundamental principles of the international order—the inadmissibility of changing borders by force.

Steinmeier stressed that Russia threatens peace throughout Europe, and that a protracted war runs counter to China’s own economic interests, jeopardizing trade routes, supply chains, and energy and food security. He also recalled that Germany had spent years trying to build a security architecture with Moscow, but Russia chose the path of confrontation, notably by carrying out drone attacks on German infrastructure.

The German president noted that Ukrainians have the right to determine their own future. He called for joint efforts to use every available means to end the suffering of the people after nearly five years of war, especially as winter approaches.

Source: Website of the President of Germany.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier began a five-day state visit to China in Hefei, the administrative center of the eastern province of Anhui. This is his first trip to China in nearly eight years.

During his visit to Beijing, China, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier stated that Germany and Europe do not seek to sever economic ties with China. Instead, Germany wants to seek solutions through dialogue for sectors where significant trade imbalances have arisen.