German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called on President Donald Trump to pressure Vladimir Putin for a truce to begin as early as the next trilateral meeting, which could take place with the participation of Zelenskyy and Putin.
He said this during a meeting with EU leaders, according to UNN.
Details
The next steps will be more difficult. You opened the way last Friday, but now more difficult negotiations will begin. To be honest, we would all like to see a truce. I cannot imagine the next meeting taking place without a truce. So let's work on this. Let's try to put pressure on Russia, because the extent to which our efforts will be trusted will depend at least on a truce, starting with serious next steps, negotiations
He emphasized that EU leaders would like to see a truce starting from the next meeting, which should be trilateral, i.e., with the participation of Zelenskyy, Trump, and Putin. In response to Merz's call, Trump replied:
We will let Mr. President talk to Mr. President (referring to Zelenskyy and Putin - ed.) And we'll see what comes of it
Trump stated that in the six wars he claims to have ended, there was no truce.
However, if you can achieve a truce, that's great. If there's no truce, we still have many great points to achieve
As Bloomberg noted, "Merz stands out among European leaders by pushing something that contradicts Trump's dominant narrative, calling for urgency on a ceasefire (which Trump has virtually abandoned after meeting with Putin)."
Recall
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasized that territorial issues between Russia and Ukraine cannot be resolved without the participation of Ukraine and Europe. Europe is preparing for the meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska on August 15, hoping for Ukraine's involvement and consequences for Russia.