Merz explains why Putin-Zelenskyy talks may never happen
Photo: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (Getty images)
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz doubts that Russian leader Vladimir Putin will dare to hold a summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, suggesting Putin may not have the courage to come, Sky News reports.
Merz, speaking at a briefing after talks at the White House, said the coming weeks will be decisive for Ukraine.
German Chancellor noted that Putin and Zelenskyy are expected to meet within two weeks. Merz emphasized that this agreement was also mentioned by US President Donald Trump, who had recently consulted with European leaders.
“There's a feeling that these are decisive days for Ukraine,” the German Chancellor said.
At the same time, Merz expressed doubt that the Russian leader would actually come to a bilateral summit with Zelenskyy, suggesting that Putin might lack the courage for such negotiations.
The German Chancellor also welcomed Trump’s statement on potential security guarantees for Kyiv, stressing that the entire European continent should be involved in the development of these guarantees.
Washington summit on August 18
Earlier, the White House hosted talks with Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and several European leaders who came to support the Ukrainian President.
During the meeting, Trump paused the multilateral negotiations to call Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
After speaking with the Kremlin leader, the US President said they had reached an agreement to prepare a summit involving Zelenskyy. The next step could be a trilateral summit.
According to Axios, Trump hopes that negotiations between Zelenskyy and Putin could take place later this month.
