Berlin, February 24 (QNA) – German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said he was open in principle to talks with Moscow on a sustainable peace in Ukraine, but ruled out making concessions to Russia.
“Ukraine must of course be the first to speak. But we are also ready to talk,” Wadephul said at the “Cafe Kyiv” forum hosted by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Berlin.
“But we will not arrive in Moscow and make further concessions. We will not do that,” he added. “If the shooting stops, if there is a serious willingness to talk, then we will certainly be involved.”
Wadephul, of the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), rejected calls from some members of the centre-left Social Democrats to approach Putin with fresh proposals for a ceasefire.
“There is no shortage of communication channels. But a channel is useless if he does not want to talk,” Wadephul said.
Speaking after an EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels where Hungary blocked a planned tightening of sanctions on Russia, Wadephul again urged Budapest to drop its veto on a new sanctions package and on a proposed 90 billion euro ($106 billion) EU loan for Ukraine. (QNA)