German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin “needs” to understand that he will not win the war in Ukraine so that he can start negotiations to end the conflict, The Guardian reports.

“From my point of view, Putin needs to understand that he is not going to succeed with this invasion and his imperialist aggression, that he has to withdraw his troops,” Scholz said in an interview with CNN that aired Sunday. “This is the basis for discussions” in the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine, the German Chancellor added.

“If you look at the Ukrainians’ proposal, it is easy to understand that they are ready for peace,” he added. “Something must be done. Putin must do it.”

Asked whether an agreement could be reached to end the war, including the possibility that Ukraine would not return Crimea or parts of Donbas, regions illegally occupied by the Russians, Scholz said no decision would be made without consulting Kiev.

“I told them that they can apply for membership in the European Union,” he said. “They are working to make progress in terms of all the criteria that are necessary in this direction. I think they know that we are ready to organize a certain way to provide security guarantees for the country in future peacetime, but we have not yet achieved this,” Scholz added.

On Friday, Scholz visited the White House to meet with President Joe Biden, who praised the chancellor for Germany’s “important military support” for Ukraine.

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