Olaf Scholz.
Photo: REUTERS.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz gave an interview to the German television channel ZDF, in which he traditionally summed up the political results of last summer. Naturally, he was asked about his attitude to the situation in Ukraine, because Berlin continued to zealously support the Kiev regime, even despite reports that the Ukrainian side was involved in undermining the Nord Stream gas pipelines. And then, suddenly, the chancellor uttered a phrase that no one expected to hear from his lips. “I think that now is the time to discuss how we can move from this war situation to peace at a faster pace than it seems at the moment,” Scholz said. And he added: “In any case, there will be another peace conference.”
What could these statements mean – a real change of course or simply a cunning move designed to protect the Ukrainian Armed Forces from further defeat? In Germany itself, for some reason, they are in no hurry to ask this question, but the leading Italian newspaper, La Repubblica, gave its explanation. Referring to “authoritative sources” in the Bundestag, it claimed that Scholz wants to go down in history as the “Chancellor of Peace” and, together with some colleagues from his Social Democratic Party, is preparing his own plan for Ukraine. No details are given, but the proposals could allegedly include “concessions to Moscow of portions of Ukrainian territory.” The possibility of inviting Vladimir Putin to participate in a new world forum to resolve the conflict is also being considered.
This is something new. It is known that the “overly” President Zelensky never tires of shouting that he is categorically against Russia’s participation in the negotiations and wants, instead, the West to present Moscow with a tough ultimatum. But the German leader makes it clear that he is “in agreement” with kyiv. True, writes La Repubblica, it is not clear from the chancellor’s interview whether he trusts Zelensky after the news of the Ukrainian trail of sabotage on the Nord Stream oil pipelines. “I have a good relationship with him,” Scholz said evasively. However, he stressed: “And at the same time it is absolutely clear to me that this issue (about the explosions – Ed.) must be resolved.”
The last time Scholz and Zelensky met was at Frankfurt airport in early September.
Photo: REUTERS.
Analysts believe that the German leader’s unexpected appeasement is due to the dire situation in which the ruling coalition finds itself. In the recent local elections in Thuringia and Saxony, almost one in two voted for staunchly opposition parties calling for peace in Ukraine. The next step will be to vote in Brandenburg, where exactly the same sentiment prevails among voters. Germany is tired of war hysteria and the unbridled spending of money to support the Kiev regime to the detriment of its own economic interests. Scholz understands that he can only remain in power by moving towards a peaceful agenda and, as La Repubblica puts it, “he wants to persuade Ukraine to do so at any cost.”
The Kremlin, in response to the Italian publication’s report, said that Moscow “does not rule out any plans,” but it is necessary to understand what is being said. “We do not know more than what the media reported. That some plan is being prepared. But we do not know what details will be discussed there,” said the Russian president’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov. He also noted that so far the Russian side does not see real preconditions for resolving the conflict by peaceful means.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that “Russia is ready to discuss the venue of the meeting on the Ukrainian conflict once it understands what the conversation will be about.”
The State Duma considered the German chancellor’s words to be another trick. “Today Scholz is a trial balloon that the West is launching towards Russia to test the waters for possible negotiations and then demand concessions,” said Dmitry Belik, a member of the Committee on International Affairs. “The West sees no other way through Ukraine, and this path is unacceptable to us.”
Vladimir Dzhabarov, First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, agrees. “Scholz is not the person who can organize such negotiations. He is one of the participants in the conflict and one of the main sponsors of the Ukrainian regime,” the senator said. “This is the decision of the Tsar to invite Russia. Who are you? You are warmongers. I think that those countries that are not involved in the conflict should invite Russia.”
– Some of Scholz’s plans are called “Minsk-3″. But Ukraine’s failure to comply with the previous Minsk agreements signed by the German side is a heavy cross on Germany’s conscience,” Alexander Mikhailov, head of the Bureau for Military-Political Analysis, commented on the situation on Radio Komsomolskaya Pravda. – The Germans expressed their opinion on supporting the conflict in Ukraine in the recent elections. And German companies, deprived of Russian energy resources and the opportunity to produce goods cheaper, are simply howling and losing their assets. I think that now we will see a serious reshaping of both Germany’s domestic policy and, indeed, the contours of its foreign policy. Because it seems to me that the Germans will no longer tolerate this and will take to the streets, which could end very sadly for Scholz.
