German Chancellor Scholz announced his readiness to discuss with Russia the solution in Ukraine.

According to RIA Novosti, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on October 16 once again stated the need for Russia to participate in the next peace conference on Ukraine, as well as readiness to negotiate with President Vladimir Putin.

“We had a conference in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, which ended with the conclusion: We need another conference, which, as the President of Ukraine said, should include Russia. And rightly so, many people ask, ‘Will we talk to the President of Russia?’ Yes, we will,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in the Bundestag. The speech was broadcast by the Bundestag on YouTube.

Chancellor Scholz stressed that two principles must be followed: no decisions can be made without Ukraine's participation, and without prior agreement between Germany's partner countries. Chancellor Scholz also pledged once again to continue supporting Ukraine as long as necessary.

Also at the Bundestag meeting, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leader Friedrich Merz criticized Chancellor Scholz for not providing enough support to Ukraine. Mr. Merz said that if he became Chancellor, on the first day, he would issue an ultimatum to Russia in case Moscow did not comply; along with that, he would lift restrictions on the scope of weapons use for Ukraine.

Commenting on the CDU leader's statement, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: "If they want to end the war, stop supplying weapons to Kiev and let him give his wife an ultimatum."

Meanwhile, the New York Times said that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz traded military support for Ukraine for his approval rating and Germany's industrial capacity.

“Mr. Scholz has escaped Germany’s postwar constraints on international security, becoming one of the financial backers of Ukraine’s military capabilities. But this support has come at a high cost — the conflict has hit the German economy’s auto and industrial sectors and weakened Mr. Scholz’s approval ratings,” the New York Times said.

In September 2024, the Tagesschau news portal reported that, based on data from a survey by the Infratest Dimap institute, the level of dissatisfaction among Germans with the work of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government rose to a record high of 84%.