MÜNSTER (dpa-AFX) – According to NRW Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst, only Ukraine, which is attacked by Russia, decides when the time has come for talks about peace. “This point in time, and it hurts to say this here in Münster, will be decided on the battlefield,” said the CDU politician on Friday at the first “Westphalian Peace Conference” in Münster. “That’s why we must do everything we can to help Ukraine win this war and repel the Russian invasion.” Ukraine has been fending off an invasion by Russia with Western help since February 2022.
The end of the war “also depends on our determination to support Ukraine,” said Wüst (CD) in front of several hundred conference participants, including Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko. States should be able to freely decide their fate. “Peace without this freedom is graveyard peace.” Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) had similarly emphasized at the meeting that Ukraine decides itself when the time has come for negotiations. Russian President Vladimir Putin must take the first step and withdraw his troops./wa/DP/ngu