German Chancellor welcomes proposed meeting between Trump, Putin

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has welcomed the intention of incoming US President Trump to meet with Russian President Putin in the context of the Ukraine war.

In an interview to the German ARD broadcaster, Scholz conveyed that such a meeting between the two superpowers would not necessarily be bad news. However, he emphasized that the sovereignty of Ukraine must not be called into question.

Referring to his November 2024 phone call with Putin, Scholz noted that at some point, the time for real negotiations would come. While Germany will continue to support Ukraine, he added that the killing must eventually come to an end. According to the ARD, Scholz stressed the importance of finding a way out of this war without imposing a dictated peace over the heads of the Ukrainian people.

As Caliber.Az recalls, Trump has announced that he is preparing for a meeting with Putin. While no information regarding further details has been published, Kremlim spokesperson Dmitriy Peskov reiterated on January 10 Putin's willingness to engage in such talks. 

A potential meeting between the Russian and American leaders has long been highly anticipated, especially since the last substantial peace negotiations to address the war in Ukraine took place in Istanbul back in March 2022, just after the outbreak of the military hostilities. The near-total breakdown of communication between the Biden administration and Russia since then has resulted in minimal progress toward ending the conflict.

In contrast, Donald Trump has consistently pledged throughout his presidential campaign to broker a resolution to the war in Ukraine promptly after assuming office on January 20. Trump has also voiced skepticism about continued US military and financial aid to Kyiv, claiming they were only prolonging the war. While his criticism of Washington's support for Ukraine has sparked initially concerns that Ukraine might face pressure to accept a peace deal on terms more favorable to Moscow, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did express in a November interview with Ukrainian media his belief that a resolution to the war would come sooner under a Trump administration.

By Nazrin Sadigova