Peace between Ukraine and Russia should be fair, not dictated by Kremlin, - German government spokesman Hebestreit
Peace in Ukraine must be fair, not under the dictates of the Russian Federation, and there can be no question of freezing the situation.
According to Censor.NET, citing Ukrinform, this was stated at a briefing on Monday by the spokesperson for the German Federal Government, Steffen Hebestreit.
According to Hebestreit, the peace process has been going on for "a relatively long time" and was initiated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In the summer, a peace conference was held in Switzerland, attended by more than 100 countries, and it was agreed to hold the second Peace Summit.
"There was a common feeling, recognition, and consensus that the next meeting should be held with the participation of Russia. Efforts are currently underway (to convene the second summit - Ed.), although I cannot name a date. But the whole world understands that this war must end as soon as possible, and Ukraine is very eager to do so," the German government spokesman said.
In addition, Hebestreit noted that it is clear to everyone that peace must be just, not peace under dictation, and that it cannot be about Ukraine "throwing up the white flag" or about Ukraine being talked about without Ukraine's participation. It is not a question of giving Russia a pause to breathe and attacking again with renewed vigour, as it has already done. It is also out of the question, in principle, to freeze the situation; Russia must withdraw its troops.
In his opinion, the person who can end the war immediately is the Russian president, who has been waging an aggressive war for 2.5 years, which has a "gigantic price" for Russia itself, but above all for Ukraine and those who support Ukraine.
Hebestreit also assured that Berlin is in constant exchange of views with Ukraine, the United States, European partners, etc. However, the time has not yet come for Chancellor Olaf Scholz to speak directly with the Russian president, although the head of the German government has repeatedly stated that he would be ready to call Putin when he is actually in the mood for constructive talks.
"When the time comes that the chancellor decides that it makes sense to call, he will not hesitate to call (Putin - Ed.). For now, we have to wait," the spokesman stressed and recalled that the last telephone conversation between the two politicians took place in December 2022.
