German Chancellor Olaf Scholz declared in an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung about the need to maintain a dialogue with Moscow.
The Chancellor also added that “if we don’t talk,” a resolution to the crisis in Ukraine “will become even more unlikely.”
At the same time, Scholz did not give a direct answer to the question about the possibility of a trip to Moscow in 2023, noting only that it is necessary to negotiate an end to the conflict and protect the integrity of Ukraine. He also admitted that in the long term, after the end of the special operation, interaction with Russia will become possible again, but stressed that now is not the time for this.
Speaking about providing security guarantees to Ukraine in the event of a peaceful settlement, the chancellor noted that their content remains a difficult issue, the answer to which must be obtained during negotiations.
In early November, Volodymyr Zelensky, after Western media reports that Kyiv was being pushed into a dialogue with Russia, named Ukraine’s conditions for starting negotiations. According to him, this is “the restoration of territorial integrity, respect for the UN Charter, compensation for all losses, punishment of every war criminal and guarantees that this will not happen again.”
At the same time, Zelensky previously signed a decree on the impossibility of holding negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also stated that Kyiv would not engage in dialogue with Moscow while Putin was in office.
As the Russian president himself noted, Moscow has always said that it is open to negotiations on Ukraine, if Kyiv matures, then the mediation efforts of those who offer them will be in demand.
Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed that Ukraine cannot and does not want to negotiate, “accordingly, the goals of the Russian Federation will be carried out through the continuation of a special military operation.”
