German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has expressed cautious optimism regarding the viability of a potential meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, as recently proposed by US President Donald Trump. Speaking in Washington D.C. on Monday evening, Merz stated, “Whether the Russian President will have the courage to come to such a summit – we do not know”. He emphasized the need for further diplomatic efforts to secure the meeting.
The Chancellor underscored that any substantive negotiations must include direct Ukrainian participation. “A summit of this nature is only conceivable if the weapons fall silent. I reiterated this demand today” he said.
Merz also firmly stated that no territorial concessions should be imposed upon Ukraine. He welcomed President Trump’s announcement of potential security guarantees for Ukraine and the intention to coordinate these with European partners.
The Chancellor’s comments came following a day trip to Washington for a hastily convened summit to assess the outcome of recent discussions between President Trump and President Putin in Alaska. Participants included French President Emmanuel Macron, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
President Stubb confirmed in a CNN interview that planning a direct meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, potentially followed by a trilateral discussion including President Trump, was a central theme of the four-hour session, alongside discussion of possible “security guarantees”.
President Trump indicated following the meeting that he had spoken with President Putin and initiated preparations for a meeting between the two presidents at a yet-to-be-determined location, with a potential timeframe of within the next two weeks.
