German Chancellor Scholz Calls for Accelerated Peace Process in Ukraine

Push for Diplomacy

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has made a call for an accelerated diplomatic push towards peace in Ukraine. He stated on Sunday that he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zekensky are in agreement that Russia should participate in future peace summits. "I believe that now is the time to discuss how to arrive at peace from this state of war, indeed at a faster pace," Scholz said. "There will certainly be a further peace conference, and the president and I agree that it must be one with Russia present."

Unusual Stance Among NATO Leaders

Such calls for peace in Ukraine from a NATO country leader are rare. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been consistently advocating for an end to the conflict, but his views have not been in alignment with other NATO and European leaders. In June, Ukraine organized a conference in Switzerland, dubbed as a "peace summit." However, Russia was not invited, which resulted in no progress towards a ceasefire.

Changing Tides

Following the Switzerland conference, Zelensky began advocating for Russia's participation in the next summit. This was a departure from his previous stance of refusing to engage in talks with Moscow until a complete Russian withdrawal from Ukraine, a condition Russia found unacceptable. Russia showed interest in peace talks, but Ukraine's invasion of Russia's Kursk oblast on August 6 led Russian officials to dismiss the idea of peace talks. They suggested that Zelensky’s earlier comments about inviting Russia to a summit were a bluff.

Uncertain Future

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated a softening of his stance, stating that Moscow "never refused" to negotiate. However, there is still no indication of a peace summit involving Russian and Ukrainian officials being planned. The US is also not expected to support any peace efforts, at least before the November election. The only time a real peace deal was on the table was in March and April of 2022. However, the US and NATO discouraged Ukraine from signing an agreement and promised to support its fight against Russia.

Bottom Line

The call for an accelerated peace process in Ukraine by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is a significant development in the ongoing conflict. The involvement of Russia in future peace talks could potentially bring about a resolution. However, the lack of support from other NATO countries and the US could pose a significant challenge. What are your thoughts on this development? Share this article with your friends and discuss. Don't forget to sign up for the Daily Briefing, which is everyday at 6pm.