German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed hope that Chinese President Xi Jinping will urge Russian leader Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine during their meeting in Beijing. This was reported by AFP.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed hope that Chinese leader Xi Jinping will call on Kremlin head Vladimir Putin to end the war against Ukraine during the latter's visit to Beijing.
"We certainly associate this visit with the hope that President Xi will also urge President Putin to end this war in Ukraine, which he cannot win."
According to Merz, he does not expect a "fundamental shift in strategic relations between Russia and China at this stage."
Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping will hold talks on May 20, and in the evening they will continue discussions in an informal setting over tea.
As Bloomberg notes, the Chinese leader is conducting diplomatic contacts with Trump and Putin for the second time this year almost consecutively. In early February, Xi Jinping separately spoke with the U.S. president and the Russian leader just hours apart.
In the editorial's view, the upcoming talks between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping once again demonstrate the key role China plays in global politics and international security issues. Despite the West's hopes for possible influence from Beijing on Moscow, experts do not expect a significant change in relations between Russia and China at this time.
