German Chancellor Olaf Scholz indicated his readiness to negotiate a “just peace” in a Wednesday speech to the Bundestag. Scholz and Putin have not spoken since December 2022

Scholz indicated that this includes a willingness to negotiate with Putin. “If the question is whether we will also talk to the President of Russia, we say: yes, we will,” the chancellor stated.

Scholz, however, added, that there will not be any decisions made “over the heads of Ukraine and never without consultation with our closest partners.”

Scholz added that negotiations will occur “in coordination with our closest partners.”

The chancellor also brought up the necessity of avoiding a future war. “This [war] is something that should not be repeated again in Europe,” Scholz concluded.

Scholz’s announcement comes after weeks in which the German media have been reporting that he is ready to negotiate with Putin. It is unclear whether Putin would be willing to negotiate with Scholz, with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stating that Putin is unwilling to speak with, let alone negotiate with Scholz. “These days, he [Putin] is no longer even prepared to speak to the German chancellor on the phone,” Baerbock stated last week.