Germany believes that peace in Ukraine should not be dictated by Russia

The process of establishing peace in Ukraine is an arduous one, but it has begun, and peace should not be dictated by the Kremlin, a German government spokesman believes.  Source: Steffen Hebestreit, spokesperson for the German federal government, quoted by Ukrinform, as reported by European Pravda Details: Hebestreit highlighted that the peace process has been ongoing for "a relatively long time", recalling the Peace Summit in Switzerland - attended by more than 100 countries - at which a second summit was decided to be held.

He noted that at that point, "there was a general feeling, recognition, consensus that the next meeting should be held with the participation of Russia".

He emphasised that everyone understands that peace must be fair and not dictated by anyone, saying that there should be no question of Ukraine having to "raise the white flag" and that other countries should not discuss Ukraine without Ukraine's involvement. Hebestreit also stated that there is no question of giving Russia a chance to regroup and attack again with new forces, as previously, or of freezing the situation - Russia must withdraw its troops.

The spokesman went on to say that the only person who can put an end to the war right away is Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin; the war has a "huge cost" for Russia, but most importantly for Ukraine and those who support it. In an extensive interview with ZDF, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he was in favour of Russia being involved in the forthcoming Peace Summit, saying: "Now is the moment for us to discuss how to end the war and achieve peace faster than currently seems possible."

It was later reported that Scholz had come under harsh criticism from Germany's largest opposition party, the Christian Democratic Union, for saying that it was time to begin searching for ways to stop the war.

Earlier, Andrii Yermak, Head of the Ukrainian President's Office, stated that the invitation of a Russian representative to the second Peace Summit should not be taken to mean the start of negotiations with Russia.

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