Germany skeptical of Trump's potential Ukraine peace initiative

BERLIN

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock expressed doubt Tuesday about the success of a swift diplomatic initiative by US President-elect Donald Trump to end the war in Ukraine.

"Do I believe that? Well, I'm not so sure," Baerbock told attendees at the Berlin Foreign Policy Forum, adding that her experience as minister indicates such expectations may be unrealistic.

“Well, again, my experience of the last three years, it is not 100% that this will happen. I mean, I've also heard what has been said in the past. Within 24 hours or 48 hours, there will be peace negotiations,” she said.

When asked “whether Europe should try to get a seat at the table during potential peace negotiations or stay out of the process”, Baerbock argued that European involvement was crucial for any lasting peace agreement in the region.

“I said that before, There can be only peace in Europe with Europeans, and especially with Ukraine. So there cannot be any peace negotiations over the head of Ukraine,” she said.

“We have to see what happens in the upcoming weeks and months, but there will not be any peace if Europeans are not at the peace table. I think this is also quite obvious,” Baerbock added.

Her comments came after reports that Trump may be planning a major diplomatic initiative in early 2025 to end the war in Ukraine.

Several media outlets had reported that Trump intends to leverage his personal relationships with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to broker a peace deal shortly after taking office.

During his election campaign, Trump repeatedly said that he could end the war between Russia and Ukraine “within 24 hours,” though he refrained from elaborating on the specifics of his proposed strategy.