Germany's Scholz calls for renewed push for peace in Ukraine

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for a renewed effort to bring peace to Ukraine, adding that he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had both agreed in recent talks on the need for a new peace conference that would include Russia.

"I believe that now is the time to discuss how to arrive at peace from this state of war, indeed at a faster pace," Scholz told broadcaster ZDF in a televised interview.

Scholz is under pressure at home after all three parties in his centre-left coalition suffered painful losses in two regional state elections one week ago, while groups seeking better relations with Moscow won more votes.

Far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) and new anti-establishment party BSW, who oppose military backing for Ukraine's fight against the Russian invasion, both booked record gains.

Zelenskiy said in July he aimed to have a plan ready in November to enable Kyiv to hold a second international summit on peace in Ukraine, and that representatives of Russia should attend.

Ukraine in June hosted delegations from 92 countries at a first summit in Switzerland to advance its blueprint for peace.

Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, was not invited to the event at the time and dismissed it as a non-starter.