Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor, is optimistic about the possibility of coordinating a joint plan with Donald Trump regarding Ukraine, as stated in a recent interview with a German media organization. The discussion arose from a recent conversation with the president-elect.

“I am confident that we can develop a joint strategy for Ukraine,” Scholz told the Funke newspapers group.

“My guiding principle remains that nothing can be decided without giving the Ukrainian people a say.” 

Scholz added that he had spoken “extensively” with Trump and that his team was in “direct contact”  with Trump’s security advisers.

The status of Kyiv has become a pivotal topic in the campaign strategy for the forthcoming election in Germany, scheduled for February. This heightened emphasis comes after the dissolution of Scholz’s three-party governing coalition in Berlin last month.

Germany has solidified its position as one of Kyiv’s most significant military allies, second only to the United States. Chancellor Scholz has committed to providing additional support to Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.

Trump, meanwhile, has promised to ensure a swift end to the war via peace negotiations between the two nations but has provided no explanation on how he would bring the bloody, nearly three-year conflict to a close. 

Scholz’s remarks surfaced after Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told talk show host Tucker Carlson that Russia is open to dialogue with the president-elect despite the United States providing missile support to Ukraine that is being used in the ongoing conflict. 

The Russian official, however, warned Moscow would use “any means” to block the West from ensuring its defeat in Kyiv.  

“We would be ready to use any means not to allow them to succeed in what they call a strategic defeat of Russia,” he said. 

Late Friday, Russia struck the cities of Zaporizhzhia Kryvyi Rih in southeastern Ukraine, killing at least 12 people and injuring over 40, regional officials said

Ukraine, meanwhile, destroyed surveillance systems on Russian-controlled gas platforms off the coast of Crimea using naval drones, according to Ukraine’s naval commander. 

“The hunt for the enemy in the Black Sea continues. The occupiers will not stay on our territory — we will get them everywhere,” Vice Admiral Oleksii Neizhpapa said.