Germany urges Russian president to show willingness to negotiate for peace with Ukraine

Oliver Towfigh Nia

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Tuesday called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to show a willingness to negotiate for peace with Ukraine following his invitation to the G20 summit in the US.

Putin must “prove whether there is a willingness for peace and a willingness to negotiate on the Russian side,” Wadephul said during a meeting with his Slovak counterpart, Juraj Blanar, in the capital Bratislava.

“Of course, the best way to underscore this is by taking steps in that direction from the outset,” German Press Agency (dpa) reported, citing the minister.

Wadephul had been asked whether he supported making Putin’s participation in the G20 meeting in Florida in December contingent on Moscow agreeing to a partial ceasefire in the Black Sea to clear the way for grain exports from Ukraine, which have been disrupted by the ongoing war.

Germany’s top diplomat emphasized that inviting Putin to the G20 summit would be a litmus test for Russia.

He said Moscow could best demonstrate its willingness to negotiate “by taking steps in that direction from the outset” — for example, by declaring a ceasefire in the Black Sea “that would allow for the urgently needed grain exports.”

Wadephul: Without grain exports, famine looms

This is a major issue for grain-producing countries such as Ukraine and Russia, but an even greater one for many countries in the Global South, Wadephul said.

“Famine looms there, further humanitarian disasters loom there, and further destabilization of states looms there,” he said.

This could lead to refugee flows, displacement and new armed conflicts, the foreign minister warned.

Russia remains a member of the G20, a group of major industrialized and emerging economies. Putin last attended a summit in person in 2019, before Russia’s war on Ukraine in February 2022. The G20 comprises 19 countries, the European Union and the African Union.