(MENAFN- UkrinForm) According to Ukrinform, he said this on Tuesday, December 2, during a meeting in Berlin with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdel-Atty, as reported by dpa.

“Vladimir Putin is always looking for new excuses for why he doesn't want to negotiate. That's why I still have my doubts as to whether he is seriously prepared to talk about peace at all,” Wadephul noted.

The head of Germany's Foreign Ministry said that he and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio fully agreed that it was "time for a ceasefire." During their phone conversation on Monday, they discussed that a durable end to the war needs to lead to permanent peace and security in Ukraine and the rest of Europe, Wadephul added.

The German foreign minister also thanked U.S. President Donald Trump's administration for its efforts aimed at stopping the fighting.

He added that Steve Witkoff's talks in Moscow on Tuesday are part of those efforts.

Wadephul stressed that the very fact that the negotiations are taking place indicates that Moscow, too, may be interested in "finding out once again whether a solution is possible."

“We will continue to step up our efforts to support Ukraine,” Wadephul assured.

Read also: Zelensky: We are closer to peace now than ever before

As reported by Ukrinform, the Institute for the Study of War believes that Russia is likely to reject any version of the U.S.-proposed peace plan, as Moscow views Washington's efforts as obstructing its goals in Ukraine and globally.

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