Germany says China has ‘a responsibility for global peace’

BERLIN: Germany Monday said that China has “a responsibility for global peace” after Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul discussed Russia’s war against Ukraine with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

“Russia’s war in Ukraine affects core European interests,” the foreign ministry said in a message on X after Wadephul’s first phone call with Wang since taking up his post, and amid growing concerns about Beijing’s close relationship with Moscow.

Separately, Europe is a long way from talking about deploying troops in Ukraine as all its efforts are currently focused on securing an unconditional ceasefire from Russia, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Saturday.

“The next step must be that the format for peace talks is made clear, as well as which security guarantees could possibly, one day, be necessary for Ukraine,” Merz said, describing these matters as currently unforeseeable.

“There is no reason to talk about (troops) at the moment, we are far from that. We want the weapons to stop, the killing to end … these are the questions we are dedicated to now, and no others,” he added.

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The leaders of France, Germany, Britain and Poland, together with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, met on the sidelines of a summit in Albania on Friday to discuss the situation. They also called US President Donald Trump, who said on Saturday he would speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.

Meloni did not take part in the meeting – an absence that Italian media has described as a deliberate snub, suggesting that French President Emmanuel Macron had not wanted her involved.