The West, namely Europe and the United States, must be consistent in their support for Ukraine, in particular, military assistance, which will increase the chances that Vladimir Putin will agree to negotiations.
This belief was expressed by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who spoke in an interview with Spiegel, Ukrinform reports.
“The more consistent the West is with Moscow, the greater the likelihood that Vladimir Putin will agree to negotiations. This means we should not weaken military support: we must continue to help Kyiv… The Europeans are decisive, but our actions will be more effective if we coordinate closely with the United States. If we succeed, Putin will be ready for negotiations very quickly,” Wadephul said.
When asked if he would be ready to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Wadephul noted that in his position, “it is always recommended not to rule out negotiations with anyone.” But he added that “the following is relevant for the Russian Foreign Minister: first, we, the Europeans, will have to decide that negotiations with the leadership in Moscow make sense.” There is no shortage of proposals for negotiations from Ukraine, there is a lack of Putin’s willingness to cease his attacks, the diplomat emphasized.
When asked if he was not concerned that Russia’s war against Ukraine could be overshadowed by the conflict between Israel and Iran, the Foreign Minister admitted that he was “concerned.” At the same time, the minister assured: “We do not forget about Ukraine.”
The Chief of Staff for Ukraine in the German Ministry of Defense, Major General Christian Freuding, in turn, stated in a television interview that he “does not see any direct military connection” between the conflict in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine. Russia received significant support from Iran in the form of drones in the early years of the war, but now it produces them itself in large quantities and no longer depends on the support of the Islamic Republic. In addition, there are no consequences for political ties between Iran and Russia: the existing mutual security agreement does not contain a clause on military assistance. The military commander, as well as the Foreign Minister, emphasized the need to continue and, if possible, strengthen military assistance to Ukraine.
As reported, Russia rejects proposals for serious negotiations and the introduction of a 30-day ceasefire, while Ukraine agreed to this more than three months ago.
Source: West's resolve to force Putin to negotiate - German Foreign Minister
