13 Jul, 2022 14:42
There is no point in negotiating with Moscow over peace in Ukraine right now, German foreign minister says
A Ukrainian soldier in Kiev, Ukraine, July 7, 2022. © Niall Carson / PA Images / Getty Images
There is currently no point in negotiating with Russia over a peace settlement in Ukraine, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has said. “[Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s message so far has been the same every time: The attack will continue until Ukraine submits to his terms,” she told German magazine Stern on Wednesday.
Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine have effectively remained stalled since late March, as Western politicians, including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, have urged not to let Moscow win the conflict by acquiring concessions from Kiev.
Baerbock accused Russia of not allowing the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to evacuate civilians from the conflict-torn areas in Ukraine. “What can you negotiate with someone who is not even willing to agree with the International Committee of the Red Cross on humanitarian corridors for the escape of civilians?” Baerbock argued. Throughout the conflict, both sides have accused each other of blocking the evacuation of civilians from embattled cities and targeting civilian sites. Nevertheless, a ICRC-brokered safe passage was used to evacuate civilians from the embattled city of Mariupol last spring. ICRC chief Peter Maurer traveled to Moscow in March to negotiate the matter.
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