Germany’s defense minister Boris Pistorius said Russian President Vladimir Putin should be judged by his actions, not words, and that he is “continuing to play for time” with “lip service” after his call with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump described his call with Putin as “excellent” and said direct Russia-Ukraine talks on peace should continue immediately. Putin said he was open to working on a memorandum with Ukraine that included a ceasefire.
Why It Matters
The U.S. president is still trying to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, saying the loss of lives, destruction of property, and vast cost to American taxpayers in military aid to Kyiv is intolerable.
He had threatened to walk away unless more progress was made, and has since said the key to unlocking peace in Ukraine is a meeting between him and Putin, which he wants to happen as soon as possible. The call was a step towards a meeting.
But Ukraine and its European allies want Trump to increase the pressure on Putin via sanctions and more military aid for Kyiv to strengthen its position in negotiations. They don’t believe Putin will stop the invasion on agreeable terms unless he is forced to do so.
What To Know
Pistorius was in Brussels, Belgium, for a meeting of European defense ministers to discuss, among other things, how best to strengthen Ukraine.
Germany is a NATO ally and has sharply increased its defense spending since the full Russian invasion. It has also upped its military aid to Ukraine.
“I think it’s fair to say that yesterday’s conversation once again confirmed: statements are being made by the Russian side, but there is still no evidence for the declared intentions,” Pistorius told reporters, according to a translation of his remarks in German.
He said Putin is “still not making any concessions” and only talks about a ceasefire “on his own terms”.
“Vladimir Putin is evidently continuing to play for time—that is also very clear to see. And so, even though Russia is willing to talk about a memorandum, there is still no ceasefire in sight,” Pistorius said.
“That is, at least, my assessment. There is no timeline. So unfortunately, one has to say that Putin still does not appear to be seriously interested in peace or a ceasefire—at least not under conditions that are acceptable to others.”
He added: “I hear the words, I hear the statements, but in the end, I stick to my approach of saying—I no longer judge words, only deeds and actions. I believe that helps all of us more than speculating about the seriousness of intentions.”
Pistorius noted the massive Russian drone attack on Ukraine over the weekend.
“That gives deep insight into the actual intentions. Attacks with an estimated more than 270 drones—that speaks a clear language,” he said. “Several people in Ukraine were killed, many injured. And I believe that speaks far more clearly than the lip service we’ve heard so far.”
Russia had sent a low-level delegation to the first set of direct Russia-Ukraine talks in more than three years in Istanbul. Kyiv had brought senior officials, and Ukrainian President Zelensky was also in Turkey, willing to meet Putin face-to-face. Putin declined.
The talks were progress in themselves, but hopes of a swift ceasefire agreement were soon tempered when it became clear Russia would not be sending a high-level delegation.
The two sides say they want peace, but remain far apart on key issues such as territorial concessions and the future of Ukrainian security. Russia launched its full-scale invasion on February 2022 largely to stop Kyiv in its ambition to join NATO.
What People Are Saying
President Trump posted to Truth Social after his call with Putin: “I believe it went very well. Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War…The tone and spirit of the conversation were excellent. If it wasn’t, I would say so now, rather than later…Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine will begin immediately.”
President Putin said of the Trump call, per the state news agency TASS, that the conversation “was very productive and quite candid, and, in my view, highly useful.”
Russia is ready to work with Ukraine on a memorandum “addressing possible terms for a future peace agreement, including defining a number of key positions,” Putin said, TASS reported.
“These would cover principles for resolving the conflict, timelines for potentially signing a peace agreement, and provisions for a possible temporary ceasefire if relevant agreements are reached.”
What’s Next
Direct Russia-Ukraine talks are due to resume, Trump has said. But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said coming to an agreement on peace with Ukraine is likely to be a painstaking and long process.
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