Mützenich pushes ahead with Ukraine proposal

China, India, Brazil: These countries could work on a peace solution. SPD parliamentary group leader Mützenich sees them as possible candidates for a contact group.

SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich has proposed an international contact group to initiate a peace initiative in the Ukraine war. “In my view, it is now time for the Western allies to initiate a contact group to start a process,” Mützenich told the “Rheinische Post”.

“The Federal Chancellor and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selensky agree that now is a good time to intensify efforts for peace talks and that Russia should also be present at the next peace summit.” This also opens up the opportunity for other countries to become more involved in ending the fighting.

When asked about possible members of such a contact group, Mützenich said he saw countries such as China, India, Turkey and Brazil as having a responsibility. “In these countries, the conviction is growing that the Russian war of aggression could become a burden.” Therefore, the work of a contact group could “be quite promising” and it could play an important mediating role.

BSW politician Sahra Wagenknecht also commented on peace negotiations. In an interview with the “Tagesspiegel” newspaper, she said what she expects from the German government and Ukraine. The BSW would offer Russian President Vladimir Putin “a halt to arms deliveries” “if he agrees to an immediate ceasefire on the current front line,” said the BSW head. The strategy of supplying Ukraine with weapons so that it can win the war has failed.

“And then we would have to negotiate what happens in the areas where the Russians are currently located.” Wagenknecht believes it is right “to ask the people in Donbass and Crimea in a referendum under UN supervision which country they want to belong to.” When asked what she thinks Ukraine has to give up to make peace possible, Wagenknecht said: “It must be prepared to negotiate and make compromises: especially with regard to its goal of NATO membership.”

Chancellor Olaf Scholz recently spoke out in favor of stronger diplomatic efforts to end the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. “I believe that this is the moment when we must discuss how we can get out of this war situation and achieve peace more quickly than currently seems possible,” the SPD politician told ZDF.

When asked whether there should be another peace conference like the one in Switzerland in June, Scholz replied: “There will definitely be another peace conference. And the (Ukrainian) president and I agree that it must be one with Russia present.” A few days later, Scholz said in the Bundestag that the task now was: “To find out what is possible.”

Russia was not invited to the Swiss conference, and China, Moscow’s most important ally, declined to attend. However, 80 of the 93 participating states decided in a final declaration that Russia should take part in a follow-up conference.

Ukraine and Russia’s ideas about a peace solution could hardly be more different. All of Moscow’s demands for an end to the war so far amount to Ukraine ceding territory and Russian control over the rest of Ukraine. For Ukraine, this would be tantamount to capitulation. It wants the Russian-occupied territories back in full, including Crimea, which was annexed in 2014.