Merz admits EU lacks power to halt Russia's war without US assistance

"We are currently unable to exert sufficient pressure on Putin to end this war. We depend on American help," said Merz in an interview for the channel of his conservative party on YouTube.

At the same time, according to him, countries such as China, India, and Brazil are entering into new partnership relations with Russia.

Coalition of the Willing

Merz’s comments sounded against the background of how European leaders undertook obligations to provide Kyiv with security guarantees in the event of a ceasefire. However, there has not yet been clarity regarding the specific obligations of US President Donald Trump.

French President Emmanuel Macron stated that 26 countries are ready to make their contribution to the guarantees, including providing troops. According to the French leader, US support for these measures will be finalized in the coming days, although the White House did not comment on this.

Allied troops may be present "on land, at sea or in the air" within the framework of the agreement, said Macron to journalists in Paris on September 4 after a meeting of the so-called Coalition of the Willing, to which Trump joined remotely.

"This force does not want to — nor has the objective of — waging whatever war against Russia," said Macron together with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Earlier, the US president excluded the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine but promised to provide some support, including intelligence and aviation.

According to Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Trump used a telephone conversation on September 4 to demand that Europe strengthen economic pressure, including a complete cessation of purchases of Russian oil and gas, to persuade Putin to sit down at the negotiating table. According to him, the American leader also called on Europeans to exert pressure on China.

Statements of Putin

Speaking on September 5 at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, in the Far East of Russia, Putin stated that if in Ukraine there appear any Western troops, "especially now, during the course of hostilities, we assume that they will be legitimate targets for destruction."

"And if decisions are adopted which lead to peace, to long-term peace, then I simply do not see sense in their presence on the territory of Ukraine," he said.

Putin also stated that Russia is prepared to achieve its goals through military means if it cannot do so through diplomatic means.

Meanwhile, the exhausting offensive of Russia continues without significant territorial gains. Moscow’s troops were advancing slowly, having captured from May to August 2,033 square kilometers (785 square miles), which constitutes 0.3% of the total area of Ukraine.

Ukrainian forces continue to deliver strikes on objects of the Russian fuel industry, intensifying the summer crisis on the domestic fuel market. Drones attacked a large oil refinery in Ryazan.