Are talks failing? Merz explains when war in Ukraine could end
Photo: Friedrich Merz, German Chancellor (Getty Images)
Russia is most likely not serious about meaningful peace negotiations with Ukraine. Therefore, it must be pressed further, said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz during the Munich Security Conference, The Guardian reports.
Commenting on negotiations with Russia, Merz recalled how an EU Prime Minister, referring to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, traveled to Moscow for peace talks without a mandate and achieved nothing. Just a week later, Ukraine suffered one of Russia’s heaviest attacks on civilian infrastructure.
"So if it makes sense to talk, we are willing to talk. But as you can see with the American side, Russia is not yet willing to talk seriously," he said.
He stressed that the war in Ukraine will "only end when Russia is at least economically, and potentially militarily, exhausted." In his view, that moment is already approaching.
"Russia has to give up this terrible war against Ukraine, and we have to do everything what is needed to bring them to the point where they see no further advantages for them to continue this terrible war," Merz added.
Negotiations between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States
Over the past month, Ukraine, Russia, and the United States have held two rounds of peace talks.
The main outcome was a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia, which took place after a five-month pause.
At the same time, Moscow is not yet willing to end the war. According to Russian media reports, during the negotiations, Russian officials put forward a new ultimatum — they want the parties to recognize the Donetsk region as Russian territory legally.
Yesterday, February 12, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he would rather reject the agreement than impose a bad one on Ukrainians.
