German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul believes negotiations to end the war in Ukraine could begin this summer, marking one of the most concrete timelines a senior European official has publicly attached to the prospect of peace talks since the conflict began.
What Wadephul actually said
During his Mexico City visit, Wadephul was direct. “Now is the time to come to the negotiating table,” he said, urging Russian President Vladimir Putin to engage in dialogue.
The German foreign minister positioned Europe as a central player in any forthcoming peace process, emphasizing that European participation is essential for addressing the security architecture that would underpin any deal. That includes two critical components: security guarantees for Ukraine and the country’s path toward European Union membership.
Wadephul’s optimism is directly linked to a recent shift in tone from Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly called for direct negotiations with Putin, a move that injected fresh energy into what had been a largely stalled diplomatic track.
