German Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil said talks with Moscow must not come at Ukraine’s expense or bypass President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, amid Donald Trump’s efforts to ease sanctions on Russia

German Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil rebuked Washington’s efforts to restore Russia’s position on the global stage. 

“That this opening is taking place is something I’ve been following with great concern,” Klingbeil said on Thursday in Bangkok. “Pretending that Russia is returning as a normal member of the G20 and sitting back at the table — that won’t happen with me or the other Europeans.” 

The comments come after President Donald Trump said last week that he is working with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to release the country’s diesel supplies into global markets, upending years of sanctions in a bid to ease fuel prices before the US midterm elections. Trump also demanded that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy halt attacks on Russian oil refineries and suggested he should consider stepping aside as president. 

“As Germany and as Europeans, we stand firmly on Ukraine’s side,” Klingbeil, who also his country’s finance minister, told reporters. “It always makes sense for talks to take place, but let me be very clear on this: these talks must not come at the expense of the Ukrainians, nor should they take place over the heads of the Ukrainians — or over the head of President Zelenskyy.”

Klingbeil spoke after a meeting of Group of 20 finance chiefs. That body is headed by the US this year, though Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent didn’t make the trip to Thailand. 

The Russian finance minister was in the room in Bangkok, Klingbeil said, adding that they didn’t speak. 

“I can already see that there are currently attempts on the part of the Americans — as we also experienced very concretely in Asheville, and from others as well — to bring Russia back onto the international stage,” he said, referring to the recent G20 gathering in North Carolina. 

Klingbeil acknowledged that “it’s right to hold discussions in these forums and speak frankly — that’s what I did in Asheville, where I clearly criticised the Russian position.” 

“Russia started this brutal war, which violates international law” he said. “Russia must stop this war, and we will make that clear in every situation.”