Ukraine peace talks may start this summer, German foreign ministry says
Photo: Johann Wadephul (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has said that peace negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine could begin as early as this summer, The Guardian reports.
In particular, Wadephul said that neither side appears to have the upper hand on the battlefield, as the war has effectively reached a stalemate. He also suggested that Putin "may now be at a stage where he is seriously considering" negotiations.
On June 4, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy published an open letter to Russian leader Vladimir Putin proposing a meeting in a third country to discuss the conditions for a lasting peace.
The initiative was directed at several audiences at once — the Kremlin leader himself, members of Russia's elite, and Ukraine's international partners.
In response, Putin criticized the proposal, claiming the letter had a rude tone, and rejected direct talks, saying he does not see any point in them.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, meanwhile, stressed that Putin has effectively lost the opportunity to exit a war that is becoming increasingly unsuccessful for Russia, while international pressure on Moscow continues to intensify.
At the same time, US President Donald Trump said that Putin is currently in a weaker position regarding the war against Ukraine than he was previously.
