German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said discussions with Chinese officials about the war in Ukraine during his recent trip provided a “very important boost” to diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.
Scholz emphasized that he agreed with Chinese leaders on the need for peace conferences in Switzerland to discuss the war.
Diplomatic efforts are “something that is indispensable in this difficult process, and I am grateful that Germany, and I personally, have also been able to contribute,” Scholz said on Friday.
Scholz said the diplomatic effort is “still a plant that needs a lot of water … but it is something that exists and that we cherish.”
Switzerland plans a peace summit on June 15 and 16, to which it wants to invite about 100 countries, including Ukraine.
It is expected that Russia will not attend, but countries that have friendly ties with Russia, such as China, Brazil and South Africa, could join.
During his visit to Beijing on Tuesday, Scholz agreed with Chinese President Xi Jinping to coordinate “intensively and positively” on the upcoming peace summit and possible further conferences.
