"Whether peace talks take place depends solely on Putin," - Merz
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that whether peace talks take place depends solely on the dictator Putin, as Ukraine had previously proposed holding them.
He stated this during Question Time to the government in the Bundestag, reports Censor.NET, citing Ukrinform.
Details
"I would like to make it very clear once again: Ukraine has put forward a specific proposal to meet for talks. On 4 June, the Ukrainian president wrote a letter to the Russian leader, calling on him to be prepared for talks," the Chancellor recalled.
According to Mertz, Zelenskyy’s only condition was that the meeting should not take place in Moscow:
"The only condition he put forward – and I think anyone in his position would understand this – is that it should not be in Moscow, but anywhere else in the world."
However, the Russian dictator rejected this proposal.
"Putin declined this meeting, and so the decision – whether to accept this proposal now or not – rests solely with him," said the Chancellor.
Merz added that he would be hosting the leaders of France, the UK, Poland, and Italy in Berlin this evening as part of the E5 format, where support for Ukraine and opportunities for a diplomatic settlement would also be discussed.
"We will continue to discuss this very issue: what we can do to continue helping Ukraine, and what support we can provide to make a diplomatic solution possible," added the Chancellor.
Zelenskyy’s letter to Putin
- On 4 June, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, published an open letter to the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, in which he proposed a meeting.
- In his letter, Zelenskyy proposed to Putin that they end the war "between us and you" and set a specific date for a meeting. Among the countries that could host such a meeting, the head of state mentioned Switzerland, Turkey and countries in the Arab world.
- Whilst negotiations are ongoing, Ukraine is prepared to implement a full ceasefire, and the US could provide monitoring.
- The President of Ukraine believes that an exchange of prisoners of war on an ‘all for all’ basis could serve as a good first step towards ending the war. Mr Zelenskyy also emphasised the steps needed to secure the return of civilians and children who were taken away during the war.
- On 5 June, Putin said that he had glanced at Zelenskyy’s open letter that morning "in passing", and that he had "never refused" the Ukrainian president a meeting, but was opposed to "talking at cross-purposes" and currently "saw no point" in direct talks.
- During the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin stated that a Russian businessman had allegedly travelled to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy.
- Subsequently, the Financial Times, citing four sources, reported that in May, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich visited Kyiv at the invitation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian leader sought, through him, to persuade Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to agree to direct peace talks.
