Foreign ministers of the governing coalition warned that the next round of peace talks in Abu Dhabi among Russia, Ukraine, and the United States carries expectations that are too high. The CDU spokesperson for foreign policy, Jürgen Hardt, told the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland”: “Russia is showing that the Kremlin has no interest in peace by deliberately targeting Kyiv’s energy infrastructure. It is using the cold winter to erode the morale of the Ukrainian people”. He added that the purpose of the negotiations, for Putin, is “time and point gain”; his goal remains the subjugation of Ukraine and the weakening of free Europe. Hardt urged that President Donald Trump should not “play along” with such tactics and that no façade of peace should be allowed.
The SPD spokesperson for foreign policy, Adis Ahmetovic, called for a ceasefire as the next step and for a solution that Ukrainian interests are not imposed on. “The decisive issue is a fair and sustainable peace, not symbolic formats or one‑sided arrangements” Ahmetovic said. “If substantial results are lacking, Europeans must intensify the review of further sanctions and increase pressure on the United States to adopt measures as well”. The talks are scheduled to begin on Wednesday and will last two days.