Austrian Foreign Minister says China should push Putin to peace talks

China should put pressure on Russia to end its war against Ukraine if it wants to realize its potential as a world power and avoid further sanctions proposed by Europe and the United States. This opinion was expressed by Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger in an interview with Bloomberg.

Austria's Foreign Minister says Beijing should help bring Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to talks and stop helping the Kremlin's military machine by supplying weapons.

The official said this a few hours after meeting with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Vienna.

"China has to use its influence on Putin to really start negotiations. The European Union's position is to put pressure on Putin, and we do that through sanctions. If these sanctions are circumvented, we must take action," said Meinl-Reisinger.

The U.S. will urge its G7 allies to impose tariffs of up to 100% on China and India for buying Russian oil and consider other measures to persuade Putin to end the war, according to a proposal from Washington seen by Bloomberg.

US President Donald Trump has told European officials that he is ready to impose massive new tariffs on China and India to push Russia to negotiate, but only if EU countries are ready to follow suit.

The Austrian foreign minister expressed a more cautious view, suggesting that the EU should conduct an impact assessment before signing new measures.

"We should always consider whether sanctions hurt Russia more than they hurt us," she said.

Meinl-Reisinger calls China one of Austria's most important trade and investment partners.

"China is on its way to becoming a world leader, and this comes with certain responsibilities. For months, Ukraine has been demonstrating its readiness for a ceasefire and for negotiations at any level necessary. But Putin has not. And Beijing – well, they have influence on Moscow," the diplomat stated .

• On September 9, Trump called on the European Union to impose tariffs of up to 100% against China and India to increase pressure on Russia and Putin.
• On September 12, Zelenskyy said that it is necessary to find a way to influence China so that they use their influence on Russia to end the war.