It's time to find an 'alternative path' to resolving the Ukraine conflict.

Defense Minister Crosetto noted that, with the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv about to enter its third year, “it is important to follow paths leading to a political solution.” However, he stressed that these efforts must go hand in hand with continued military support for Ukraine. Minister Crosetto pointed out that, although the West has succeeded in ensuring Ukraine's “survival,” other objectives for the country remain unfulfilled.

He said, “What cannot be achieved militarily… can be achieved by opening a diplomatic and political front to try to achieve similar results through peace negotiations.” Crossetto also emphasized that, “what existed before the war must be restored, and what cannot be done with weapons must be done in other ways.”

Italy's Defense Minister issued a warning in early October that hostilities between Russia and Ukraine were unlikely to be resolved on the battlefield. At the time, he explained that "the longer time passes, the less the ability to help Ukraine with limited resources will become," while also pointing to the serious problems Kyiv faced in its unsuccessful attempts to repel Russian forces.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's ambassador to Germany, Aleksey Makeev, denied that Berlin was pushing Kyiv into peace talks with Moscow. He made this comment shortly after Der Spiegel speculated that a senior official in Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government had indicated that Germany now supports a negotiated solution.

In an interview with German television station RRB, Ambassador Makeev responded negatively when asked whether Berlin was pressuring Kyiv to reach a peace agreement with Moscow. The diplomat emphasized that such discussions with Ukrainian officials were not held in private.
Previously, Der Spiegel reported that in late October, German Ambassador to the US Andreas Michaelis invited a group of influential American foreign policy strategists and Russian experts to a private dinner. In addition to Ambassador Michaelis himself, Wolfgang Schmidt, head of Chancellor Scholz's office, was also present. According to media reports, the main agenda of the meeting was a discussion of the situation on the Ukrainian front and possible ways to end the bloodshed.

Speaking to reporters last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed that, “several high-ranking, prominent leaders of Western countries, including a specific Western leader, a very well-known one, have repeatedly…through at least three different channels sent signals asking why we don’t meet and talk about what needs to be done with Ukraine and European security.” The Russian diplomat added that he “did not want and was not entitled to name names.” He reiterated that Russia “is always ready to seriously discuss these issues” and asserted that Ukraine itself has so far ruled out such a possibility.