Germany's Olaf Scholz asks China not to send weapons to Russia; 'Use your influence to...'

Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz on March 1 urged China not to send weapons to Russia, saying that Beijing, Russia's President Vladimir Putin's steadfast ally, must instead focus on pressurising the invading Russian forces to retreat from the Ukraine territory. Addressing the German parliament nearly a year after he promised to upgrade Germany's armed forces with one-off funding of $106 billion, Scholz said that China must work towards ensuring Russia's complete withdrawal from Ukraine, according to German public broadcaster DW. 

"My message to Beijing is clear: use your influence in Moscow to push for the withdrawal of Russian troops," Scholz said in the parliament. "And do not supply weapons to the aggressor Russia." 

Scholz slams Beijing for not condemning Russia's war

Scholz slammed Beijing for not condemning Russia's war in Kyiv, adding that Berlin would welcome any efforts toward de-escalation of the ongoing hostilities. Scholz stated that while China has put forth the 12-point peace plan that calls for a ceasefire, the idea must be discussed with the Russian Federation, he stressed. "One can rightly expect China to discuss its ideas with the main stakeholders, with the Ukrainian people, and with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy," Scholz noted. The German Chancellor stated that it would be impossible for Ukraine to negotiate a peace deal with Russia with a "gun to their head." Scholz also stressed that Russia's President Vladimir Putin's "imperialism must not be allowed to prevail."

"There will be no peace deal without the involvement of the Ukrainian people," noted the German chancellor during his address. 

Scholz pressed for the world to push for a "clear stance'" on condemnation of the Russian war in Europe's eastern flank, adding that he will soon travel to the US to strengthen the bilateral cooperation with US President Joe Biden. Germany is training large amount of Ukrainian soldiers, noted the Chancellor, as he also thanked the German forces for their service in protecting the sovereignty of Berlin. "We are speaking with Kyiv and other partners over future security guarantees for Ukraine," Scholz was quoted as saying by DW. "Such security guarantees, however, come with the presumption that Ukraine successfully defends itself in this war," he furthermore stated. The Germany Chancellor clarified that Berlin does not take the arms deliveries to Ukraine "lightly," adding that as commitments were pledged, Berlin also cut the Russian energy reliance. "We made it through winter, even without Russian gas supplies," Scholz stated. He announced that Germany will produce up to 80% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.