Chancellor responds to Putin's suggestions regarding Ukraine
Prior to the peace conference in Switzerland, Putin presented terms for a truce with Ukraine that some view as a "dictated peace": Russia is willing to negotiate, provided Ukraine surrenders control over significant parts of the nation and renounces NATO membership. Chancellor Scholz also weighed in.
During the G7 summit, Putin's prospective peace talks conditions with the Ukrainian authorities, according to Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, were not discussed. Scholz told ZDF that these proposals were insincere, merely serving the Switzerland conference, not genuine negotiations.
On Friday, Putin outlined peace talk conditions with the Ukrainian government that bore resemblance to a dictat. Russia would cease hostilities if Ukraine rescinded its ambition to join NATO, Putin announced. Additionally, Putin demanded the Ukrainian military evacuate the four regions under Ukrainian jurisdiction but claimed by Russia as annexed. Previously, the Kremlin has consistently asserted that the "Kiev regime," as Putin refers to the legitimate government, must be ousted.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described Putin's ceasefire conditions as an "ultimatum" reminiscent of Adolf Hitler's actions during World War II. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated Russia couldn't impose conditions for peace upon Ukraine. "Putin has illegally invaded sovereign Ukrainian territory," Austin remarked following a NATO defense ministers' meeting in Brussels. Politician Carlo Masala termed it a "dictated peace," while CDU defense expert Roderich Kiesewetter called it a "sham" offer, describing it as a "poisoned proposal."
Scholz also addressed the peace conference where representatives from over 90 countries - minus Russia - will convene in Switzerland on Saturday. The Chancellor downplayed expectations beforehand. Speaking to ZDF, Scholz said, "It's about laying the groundwork for a subsequent conference. And then it will also matter that Russia is present." Scholz clarified, "That's a diplomatic seedling we're tending now, so it can grow bigger."
At the peak of Lake Lucerne in Luzern, delegations will debate matters such as Ukraine's grain exports, the safety of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and humanitarian issues like prisoner exchanges at a luxury hotel. Vice President Kamala Harris will attend from the United States, while China and other countries close to Putin-aligned Russia are either absent or sending lower-level representatives to the gathering.
