Germany and Ukraine in Talks to End Russian Invasion as Scholz Urges Putin for Withdrawal of Troops

Ukraine is currently in discussions with several countries, including Germany, to initiate peace negotiations and end the Russian invasion, as stated by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in an interview with the newspaper Märkische Allgemeine Zeitung on Thursday. Scholz did not specify which governments are considering negotiating an end to the war, but mentioned that discussions on this topic would be conducted discreetly.

The Ukrainian press reacted strongly to Scholz’s comments, particularly following his previous statements in February revealing the presence of British and French soldiers operating long-range missiles in Ukraine. The official stance of the Ukrainian Presidency is that there is no direct contact with Russia, and the only viable path to peace is through President Volodymyr Zelensky’s 10-point peace proposal, which includes the withdrawal of Russian troops from the occupied territory within Ukraine.

The United States and European powers, led by Germany and France, maintain that Ukraine should determine the terms and conditions for negotiations to end the conflict. Scholz emphasized that the most straightforward way to end the war would be for Russian President Vladimir Putin to order the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine. Despite this, Scholz acknowledged that negotiations have taken place between Ukraine and Russia with the assistance of international mediators, leading to agreements on issues like prisoner exchanges and security measures.

Germany has been working to counter French militaristic tendencies towards Russia, with Scholz rejecting proposals to send troops to Ukraine or supply long-range missiles. However, Germany remains a key military ally to Ukraine, second only to the United States, in terms of support. Scholz and other German officials have made efforts to prevent further escalation of the conflict and emphasize the importance of finding a path to end the war peacefully.

Recently, there have been reports of German mediation efforts to prevent a Russian nuclear attack on Ukraine in late 2022. German authorities enlisted Chinese President Xi Jinping to urge Putin against resorting to nuclear weapons