German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Wednesday that Berlin wants to explore ways of ending the war in Ukraine, hinting at possible talks with Moscow, but stressing that any efforts to bring a resolution to the conflict would need to happen in cooperation with authorities in Kyiv.
“Alongside clear support for Ukraine, it is time for us to do everything we can to explore how we can get to a situation where this war doesn’t carry on indefinitely,” Scholz told Germany’s parliament, saying he was open to talks involving Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“When we are asked, ‘Will we also speak to the Russian president?’ we say, ‘Yes, this is the case’,” Scholz said.
However, the chancellor added that “decisions will never be taken over the heads of Ukraine and without the agreement of our close partners.”
Germany has been Ukraine’s second largest military backer behind the United States, providing billions of euros in military and humanitarian support.
Scholz’s comments came on the same day that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky unveiled his long-awaited “victory plan” to win the fight against Russia, rejecting any territorial concessions and urging increased Western support.