BERLIN, September 8. /TASS/. It is time to begin discussing ways of settling the conflict in Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said.
"I think that it is time we should discuss how to settle this military situation and reach peace sooner than it might look realistic now," he said in an interview with the ZDF television channel.
He said that another conference would be held "any way." "The president [of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky] and I share the opinion that Russia should be represented there," he said.
At the same time, he pledged that Germany would continue its assistance to Kiev but admitted that the results of the regional elections in Germany, where parties opposing weapons supplies to Ukraine won the majority, "stem from the fact that some people are against support for Ukraine."
A conference on Ukraine was held in Burgenstock, Switzerland on June 15 and 16 at Ukraine’s initiative. Its final communique was not supported by Armenia, Bahrain, Brazil, Colombia, the Holy See, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Mexico, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates. Russia was not invited. Delegates from many other countries did not take part. According to Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, the conference was a total failure. Such gatherings cannot serve as a basis for a lasting peace, she stressed.