Merz: Russia and the United States cannot settle the war without Ukraine and Europe

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on October 27 that attempts by the United States and Russia to end the war in Ukraine "will never be able to find a solution without Ukraine," and said that any negotiations must also include European countries. UNN writes about this, citing Reuters.

Details

Merz spoke at the Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, describing diplomatic efforts to establish a format for negotiations with Moscow. He said that the end of the war depends "on only one person," and called continued support for Ukraine a defense of the political order in Europe.

He said that "as long as he (Putin) does not want to end the war, we will support Ukraine," and that Europe is defending not only Ukraine's territorial integrity, but also "the entire political order of the European continent."

Merz said that Russia, Ukraine, the United States, and European countries must be at the negotiating table, and warned against a scenario in which "Russia, perhaps China, and the United States of America" end the war without Ukraine.

Merz said that Germany and other European countries are trying to establish a format for talks with the Russian government, and that Norway and Finland are playing, as he put it, a "very constructive role" in these efforts.

Addition

The leaders of Finland and Norway called Kremlin head Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to urge him to end the war in Ukraine, the publication reports, breaking with the long-standing practice of Western European leaders avoiding direct contact with the Kremlin.

After this, Stubb reported a "good telephone conversation" with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy as part of "efforts to find a just and lasting peace" in Ukraine.  

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported details of the conversation with the leaders of Finland and Norway. According to the Head of State, they "clearly told the Russian leader that real de-escalatory steps are needed regarding our energy sector and infrastructure." They also discussed preparations for the trilateral Ukraine–US–Russia meeting, scheduled for November at the team level, Zelenskyy said.