The German government has stated that in order to peacefully resolve the military conflict in Ukraine, Russia must first announce at least a 30-day long-term and guaranteed ceasefire. This was firmly emphasized by the head of the Federal Chancellor's Office, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) politician Torsten Frei, in an interview on the ARD channel's program with Caren Mios.
“To resolve the situation, we need to follow a clear sequence. The first step is to completely and guaranteed cease fire, the second step is to start diplomatic negotiations. This is not only the right decision politically but also makes sense from a common-sense perspective,” said Frei.
According to Torsten Frei, the three-day ceasefire previously announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin was also not implemented. On the contrary, the number of missile strikes and attacks increased during this period.
“The Russian side has also violated its announced short-term ceasefire. This situation has reduced the international community's confidence in their sincerity and readiness for negotiations. Therefore, we need clear and firm signals from Russia not only for the start of negotiations but also for them to be effective,” Frei added.
According to a representative of the German government, if there is no guarantee of a long-term ceasefire from the Moscow side, the likelihood of any diplomatic efforts being ineffective is high. For this reason, this demand is being firmly put forward by Germany and other European countries.
It should be noted that earlier, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky announced that he expects a full, long, and guaranteed ceasefire from Russia starting May 12, and that this would be an important basis for starting diplomatic negotiations. Russian President Vladimir Putin, on May 15, proposed holding direct negotiations without any preliminary conditions in Istanbul.
The international community is currently closely monitoring the developments of this situation. If Russia implements a long-term ceasefire, it could be an important step towards achieving peace in Ukraine.
The Zamin.uz editorial team is closely following the situation and will keep its readers informed with new updates.
