BERLIN, Dec 20 German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in In a telephone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping, he emphasized the common interest of China and Europe in ending the conflict in Ukraine and called on the Chinese leader to influence Moscow, said German presidential spokeswoman Kerstin Gammelin.
«Federal President Steinmeier spoke on the phone today with Chinese state and party leader Xi Jinping,» Gammelin tweeted.
She clarified that in addition to bilateral relations between China and Germany and the current situation with the coronavirus in China, the focus of the 60-minute conversation was the topic of the Russian special operation in Ukraine.
«Steinmeier emphasized the common interest of China and Europe in ending the war, as well as in respecting the sovereignty of Ukraine and the necessary withdrawal of Russian troops for this. He asked Xi to use his influence on Russia and also influence in this sense on (Russian President Vladimir) Putin,» Steinmeier's spokeswoman wrote.
Earlier, China, abstaining from voting, did not support the UN resolution on Ukraine condemning the Russian special operation.
Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on 24 February. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years.» For this, according to him, it is planned to carry out «demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine», to bring to justice all war criminals responsible for «bloody crimes against civilians» in Donbass.