Is German chancellor Olaf Scholz giving in to pressure to reduce support for Ukraine and improve relations with Russia? Scholz declared during a televised interview with the German network ZDF broadcast last night that any fresh peace talks to bring an end to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine should also include Russia.
‘I believe that now is the time to discuss how we can arrive at a peaceful resolution from this war, at a faster pace than currently appears to be the case,’ Scholz said. ‘The [Ukrainian] president and I are in agreement that any talks should include Russia.’
Securing Russia’s attendance at future peace negotiations is, of course, another matter
Scholz’s comments come after a meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky in Frankfurt on Friday, during which the pair discussed ‘joint efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace for Ukraine’. Both the German and Ukrainian government read-outs on the meeting are vague, but confirmed that the two leaders discussed ‘possible next steps’ for another round of peace talks.
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