Ukraine's Ambassador denies Germany is putting pressure on Ukraine to negotiate with Russia
Oleksii Makeiev, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Germany, has denied that the German government is putting pressure on Ukraine to start peace talks with Russia after a German magazine reported a secret "Russia dinner" took place in the German embassy in Washington, DC.
Source: European Pravda, with reference to Politico
Details: Der Spiegel published a story on Friday, 22 December, alleging that a secret "Russia dinner" took place in the German embassy in Washington, DC in late October. This has given rise to speculations about Germany putting pressure on Ukraine.
Der Spiegel reported that during the dinner Wolfgang Schmidt, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's closest aide and the head of the chancellery, reportedly praised a proposal by US think tanker Samuel Charap to end the war in Ukraine through a negotiated settlement with Russia, because neither side is capable of winning the war. One of the people present during the dinner said that Schmidt "euphorically" praised Charap’s proposal.
In a podcast interview with the German public broadcaster RRB, Oleksii Makeiev, the Ukrainian Ambassador in Berlin, denied the German government was pushing Kyiv to accept peace talks with Russia that could lead to a permanent loss of Ukrainian territory.
The pressure was "also not" happening behind closed doors, Makeiev added.
An official from the German chancellery told Politico that Schmidt rejects the "unfounded assertions" in Der Spiegel.
"Scholz and other Western leaders have repeatedly stressed that Kyiv alone should decide when and under which conditions it reaches a peace deal with Moscow," Politico wrote.
Earlier this month, Jens Plötner, German Chancellor’s Foreign and Security Policy Advisor, and Andrii Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, wrote in a joint op-ed that "a simple cease-fire today would be tantamount to legitimising Russia’s land grab and pave the way for yet another frozen conflict."
Background:
- On 23 December, The New York Times reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been sending signals through intermediaries since at least September that he is ready to agree to a ceasefire in the war of aggression against Ukraine, which would include freezing hostilities on the current contact line.
- During a press conference on 14 December, Putin declared that the war against Ukraine will end when he achieves all his goals: "denazification, demilitarisation and neutral status for Ukraine".
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