China should also talk to Kyiv if it wants peace in Ukraine: German president

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Friday voiced doubt on China's recently announced peace plan to end the Ukraine war.

"It is questionable whether the superpower China wants to play a constructive role to this end. But if it does, then China should certainly talk not only with Moscow but also with Kyiv," Steinmeier said during an event to mark the anniversary of the war.

Steinmeier called on Beijing, which enjoys close ties with Moscow, to take a clear stance against Russia's war on Ukraine.

"It is Russia that has brutally attacked its neighboring country. It is Russia that keeps sending new troops to the front," he said.

If China wants to play a constructive role for peace in Ukraine, then it should join the overwhelming majority of states and work for peace under the auspices of the UN, Steinmeier stressed.

"We must join together to ensure that the principles of the United Nations are respected by the country which is violating them on a daily basis," he said.

The German president stressed that Russian troops should withdraw from Ukraine, and without this step, it will not be possible to negotiate the end of the war.

"A sham peace, which simply rewards Putin's land grab and leaves people at the mercy of the arbitrary actions of their occupiers, will not be a real peace," he said.