German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for new efforts to bring peace to Ukraine, adding that he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenky agreed during their recent conversation on the need for a new peace conference with the participation of Russia.

“I believe now is the time to discuss how to get to peace from this state of war, more quickly“, Solz said speaking to state broadcaster ZDF.

The German chancellor is under pressure from home after the three parties in the governing coalition suffered heavy defeats in two regional elections last week. Conversely, parties seeking better relations with Russia made gains.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the newly founded BSW party, which opposes continued support for Ukraine, recorded significant gains.

Zelensky said in July that he intends to have a plan ready by November for holding a second peace conference, stressing that representatives from Russia should also attend.

In June, the first peace conference for Ukraine was held in Switzerland with the participation of 92 countries, but without Russia.