Russia is playing for time in Ukraine peace negotiations, Germany says

Published on 20/05/2025 - 13:03 GMT+2

Germany's Defence Minister Boris Pistorius connected Tuesday accused Russia of playing for clip successful bid talks complete Ukraine alternatively than being genuinely willing successful a ceasefire.

Pistorius told reporters successful Brussels that Russian President Vladimir Putin was "only talking astir a ceasefire connected his terms", which including blocking Ukraine from becoming a personnel of NATO and Kyiv's withdrawal from occupied territories.

"Putin is intelligibly playing for time, unluckily we person to opportunity Putin is not really willing successful peace," nan German defence curate said.

"This is my assessment. There is nary timetable," Pistorius added of nan ongoing ceasefire negotiations, successful which nan Kremlin has many times refused to work together to a US-proposed 30 time ceasefire agreement.

Russia and Ukraine will "immediately" statesman ceasefire negotiations, US President Donald Trump said Monday aft abstracted calls pinch nan leaders of some countries meant to spur advancement toward ending nan three-year war. It is not clear erstwhile aliases wherever immoderate talks mightiness return spot aliases who would participate. Putin said nan process would return time.

Pistorius besides noted that Moscow had further attacked Ukraine since nan commencement of negotiations, including nan largest drone onslaught since nan warfare began connected nan Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions earlier this week.

Germany would support nan European Union successful imposing further sanctions against Russia, Pistorius added.

Separately, Pistorius signalled openness to raising Germany's defence spending target to 5% of its GDP — a ample summation touted by Trump and a immense leap from nan country's existent fund which stands astatine astir 2%.

Germany wouldn't beryllium capable to meet its NATO goals pinch a defence fund of 3%, Pistorius said arsenic he opened nan doorway to higher defence spending if needed.

"It's not astir achieving 5% successful betwixt 1 year," Pistorius said. "The scheme is to execute that successful betwixt 5 to 7 years by expanding nan defence fund by 0.2% per annum."

"The astir important point is to commencement really refilling nan NATO requirements," he added.

His comments build connected those made by Germany's caller Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul successful which he backed Trump's push for NATO members to summation defence spending up to 5% of GDP from nan existing 2% target.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz has besides promised to boost Germany's defence capacities, pledging to make nan flailing Bundeswehr nan strongest service successful Europe and utilise caller easing of nan country's indebtedness brake rules to free up money for subject spending.