Putin sees negotiating with Ukraine as a weakness, warns Merz
Photo: Friedrich Merz, Chancellor of Germany (Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin perceives negotiations with Ukraine as a sign of weakness. If countries do not continue the dialogue, they should prepare for the war to last longer, says German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
“Obviously, Putin sees negotiations as a weakness. If even the proposal for a meeting at the Vatican is approved by the Russian side, we must prepare for this war to last longer than we want or can imagine,” the Chancellor stated.
Ukraine–Russia negotiations
On May 16, the first direct negotiations in the last three years between Ukraine and Russia took place in Türkiye. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also arrived in the country, intending to meet personally with Russian President Vladimir Putin; however, Putin ignored the dialogue.
Ukraine at the talks was represented by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, while the Russian delegation was led by Putin's aide Vladimir Medinsky.
During the talks, the parties discussed a large-scale prisoner exchange in a "1,000 for 1,000" format. The exchange took place in three stages over the weekend.
In the past 24 hours, Russia has intensified strikes on Ukraine. Details about the attack on the night of May 26 can be found in the RBC-Ukraine report.
