German Foreign Minister Analene Berbock said today that Ukraine and Europe must be part of the peace talks, commenting on the phone conversation between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Reuters and BTA reported.
„There can be no talks without Ukraine's participation. Peace in Europe is at stake, so we, the Europeans, must also participate,“ Berbock stressed in an interview with Deutschlandfunk radio.
Trump said he had also held a separate conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. However, the Foreign Minister specified that she was not informed in advance about the talks.
„This is how the Trump administration operates. "So there needs to be constant communication with key players. It's different than before - that's not how foreign policy is conducted, but that's the reality now," said Berbock, a member of the German party Alliance 90/The Greens.
Lars Klingbeil, co-chairman of the German Social Democratic Party (SPD), which also includes Chancellor Olaf Scholz, told Reuters that Europe and Germany must take greater responsibility.
"What is needed now is a quick and clear message, as well as a proposal that includes the United States," Klingbeil said.
Meanwhile, Trump said he had ordered US officials to start talks to end the war in Ukraine, but did not specify specific steps to achieve that goal, Reuters recalls.