Berlin and Washington are reportedly considering a plan to persuade Ukraine to resume ceasefire talks with Russia. The Bild newspaper also spoke of a secret strategy that had already been developed: to put pressure on Kiev by gradually starting to reduce arms deliveries. Rather, the German government’s goal is to put Ukraine in a “strategically good negotiating position,” the newspaper wrote, also citing government sources: “The country should negotiate with Vladimir Putin’s regime about its sovereignty and territorial integrity.” That The White House and the Chancellery are coordinating on this.”
INSIGHTS
Neither Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz nor US President Joe Biden want to invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy directly to negotiations about the future status of the territories occupied by Russia. Instead, both countries, Ukraine’s largest arms suppliers, decided to push dialogue forward by limiting the quality and quantity of supplies. “Zelensky should realize that things cannot continue like this,” a member of the German government told the newspaper. “He should freely address the nation and declare that negotiations must continue.”
What if limiting arms deliveries doesn’t work? Washington and Berlin have a Plan B ready, said a German government source: “What Berlin and Washington are seeking as an alternative to negotiations is a frozen conflict, without an agreement between the parties.” It’s like Minsk, only without Minsk. “
The reference refers to the fragile 2014 protocol aimed at an immediate ceasefire and end to the conflict in Donbass. German MP Roderich Kiesewetter, a former Bundeswehr general staff officer, said: “It is becoming increasingly clear that the government does not believe in a Ukrainian victory and does not want it at all.” The Federal Chancellery contacted by the newspaper denied: “Germany is firmly standing up “We will support Ukraine until it can defend itself against Russian aggression.”