Germany’s Scholz states that Europeans will not agree to Ukraine’s demilitarisation

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has stated that Europe will not support any peace process that excludes Ukraine or calls for its demilitarisation, stressing that Europe’s involvement is crucial for any meaningful negotiations.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz remarked on Sunday that Europeans will not support any peace process that excludes Kyiv or calls for Ukraine’s demilitarisation.

"Ukraine must remain a democratic, sovereign nation—no decisions can be made over their heads. We as Europeans will not allow that," Scholz stated during a televised debate ahead of the 23 February elections.

Scholz confirmed that European leaders would convene in Paris on Monday to discuss the ongoing Ukraine conflict and respond to the anticipated US-Russia peace talks. He emphasised that Ukraine requires a strong military to defend itself from potential future attacks and firmly rejected Moscow’s demands for Ukraine’s permanent neutrality and disarmament.

The Chancellor highlighted that Europe, as Ukraine’s key supporter, must be part of any peace negotiations. “It won’t work without us. We have provided more support for Ukraine from Europe than the US,” he noted, stressing that any security guarantees should involve European contributions.

Scholz’s remarks come after US President Donald Trump’s decision to initiate direct peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, leaving European leaders out of the process.

Meanwhile, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth informed European counterparts last week that, should troops be deployed to Ukraine under a peace deal, they would not be part of a NATO mission and would be excluded from Article 5 protections. Hegseth also reiterated that no US forces would be sent to Ukraine as part of any security arrangement.

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