Scholz: Peace in Ukraine must not be forced

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has stated that peace in Ukraine should not be imposed.

Scholz believes that peace in Ukraine should not be imposed and that any decision must involve the United States.  

"It is absolutely clear to me that there should be no decision made without the involvement of the United States. The next priority is to ensure that no peace is forced," Scholz said in an interview with Politico. 

On Wednesday, 12 February, US President Donald Trump discussed the war in Ukraine in phone calls with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Trump stated that he and Putin agreed on the need "to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the war with Russia/Ukraine".  

It is unclear whether the interview with Scholz took place before or after these calls.

Former US National Security Adviser John Bolton, however, believes that Trump's comments about potential Ukrainian losses before negotiations with Russia suggest that Trump "effectively surrendered to Putin".

On the other hand, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth believes that the new US administration’s efforts to establish peace in Ukraine, including Trump’s talks with Putin, are not "a betrayal".