Merz says Ukraine peace still far off despite Europe's biggest push yet
Photo: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (Getty Images)
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine continue to face serious challenges. He added that peace is still far off, reports Die Presse.
At a CDU party conference, Merz said that Germany and the EU had never made more significant diplomatic efforts than in the past three weeks, referring to Ukraine. He emphasized that discussions were not limited to weapons deliveries.
The German Chancellor also warned that achieving peace in Ukraine will require patience. In light of statements from Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, he said it should be clear how complex the task will be over the coming weeks or even months.
Merz described the progress made so far as limited but moving in the right direction, comparing it to covering just 200 meters on a ten-kilometer stretch.
White House summit and the Russia challenge
On August 18, US President Donald Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House. The summit focused on Ukraine's future security guarantees, and Trump announced that preparations had begun for a bilateral meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin, to be followed by a trilateral summit.
Merz said the bilateral meeting was expected to take place within two weeks, though he acknowledged that the outcome now seems increasingly unlikely.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said yesterday that Ukraine and Russia have not yet moved closer to holding a high-level summit. He added that such a meeting will only be possible once both sides agree on an agenda.
