Germany urges Putin to prove willingness to negotiate

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Tuesday pressed Russian President Vladimir Putin to demonstrate a willingness to negotiate for peace with Ukraine, following Putin's invitation to the G20 summit in the United States. Putin must "prove whether there is a willingness for peace and a willingness to negotiate on the Russian side," Wadephul said during a meeting with his Slovak counterpart, Juraj Blanar, in the Slovak capital Bratislava. "Of course, the best way to underscore this is by taking steps in that direction from the outset," the minister said, according to German Press Agency (dpa).

Black Sea ceasefire floated as test

Wadephul had been asked whether he supported making Putin's participation in the G20 meeting in Florida in December contingent on Moscow agreeing to a partial ceasefire in the Black Sea to clear the way for grain exports from Ukraine, which have been disrupted by the ongoing war. Germany's top diplomat stressed that inviting Putin to the G20 summit would be a litmus test for Russia. He said Moscow could best demonstrate its willingness to negotiate "by taking steps in that direction from the outset" — for example, by declaring a ceasefire in the Black Sea "that would allow for the urgently needed grain exports."

Famine risk in Global South warned

Wadephul said the grain issue is a major concern for producing countries such as Ukraine and Russia, but an even greater one for many nations in the Global South. "Famine looms there, further humanitarian disasters loom there, and further destabilization of states looms there," he said. The foreign minister warned this could lead to refugee flows, displacement and new armed conflicts.

G20 membership and past summits

Russia remains a member of the G20, a group of major industrialized and emerging economies. Putin last attended a summit in person in 2019, before Russia's war on Ukraine began in February 2022. The G20 comprises 19 countries, the European Union and the African Union. Debate over whether Putin should attend the Florida gathering has become a test of how far Western capitals are willing to engage Moscow as the war continues.