Merz warns Russia of consequences if Putin avoids Zelenskyy meeting
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (photo: Vitalii Nosach / RBC-Ukraine)
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned of possible tougher sanctions against Russia if a meeting between Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy does not take place soon. Merz made the statement at a press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Kenry.
"We jointly expressed hope that within two weeks a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin will take place. If such a meeting does not happen, as was agreed between Trump (the US president) and Putin, then the ball will again be on our side — and by that I mean Europeans and Americans," Merz said.
The chancellor emphasized that if the meeting falls through, the United States and European countries will once again be forced to convene to discuss further actions.
One of the options in that case, he noted, would be strengthening sanctions against Russia.
Zelenskyy–Putin meeting
The idea of holding a meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin emerged after talks between US President Donald Trump and the Russian leader in Alaska.
Several possible venues for the summit are currently under consideration, with US media reporting that Washington favors Budapest as a neutral location. At the same time, the Kremlin proposed Moscow as a venue, but the Ukrainian president declined.
In addition, Russia has put forward a number of new conditions for potential negotiations. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Putin was supposedly ready to meet Zelenskyy, but only on the condition that all issues to be raised at the level of heads of state are thoroughly prepared in advance.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, for his part, stressed that it is Russia that is obstructing the meeting. He emphasized that, unlike the Kremlin, Ukraine is not avoiding negotiations and is ready for them in any format.
