Germany not seeing negotiating platform with Russian leader in near future

BERLIN (AA) – Germany does not see a negotiating platform with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on the issue of Ukraine in the near future, Germany's foreign minister said on Sunday.

“I wish we could negotiate. However, what is important now is not what you wish for, but to face the realities,” said Annalena Baerbock in her statements to Bild and Welt newspapers.

“There were attempts to initiate negotiations before the war. But the response to this was the entry of 100,000 Russian soldiers into Ukraine,” she added.

When asked if she could imagine Putin falling in the near future, Baerbock responded: “I have no idea. That's exactly the point. We don't know when this war will end. We don't know what will happen in Russia.”

Baerbock pointed out that Ukraine needs to return to a peaceful environment, adding this can only happen "if Russia's ruthless aggression and war are stopped, and Russian soldiers leave Ukraine."

She warned that if Ukraine loses the war, all of Europe will lose, saying: "Because Europe's peace order is under attack in this war. Ukraine must win this war, and we will do everything in our power to achieve this together."