German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday urged China not to send weapons to Russia and asked Beijing to pressure Moscow to withdraw its troops from Ukraine.
He stated this on Thursday during a speech in the Bundestag dedicated to the war in Ukraine.
Scholz said he was disappointed that Beijing refrained from condemning the Russian incursion at the recent G20 finance ministers' meeting, although he applauded its efforts on nuclear de-escalation.
"It is good that China has reiterated a clear signal against the use of nuclear weapons recently in its 12-point plan and has also clearly spoken against the use of biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction," Scholz said.
However, the German chancellor added, China can rightly be expected to discuss its "peace plan" with the main interested party - the Ukrainians and President Zelenskyі.
"My message to Beijing is clear: use your influence in Moscow to push for the withdrawal of Russian troops, and do not supply weapons to aggressor Russia," he said, drawing thunderous applause from the German parliament.
Scholz also said in his speech that he does not yet believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to negotiate a "just world" in Ukraine.