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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the US is ready to join security guarantees for Ukraine.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. (Reuters file photo)
The United States is prepared to participate in security guarantees for Ukraine, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said. Speaking to German broadcaster ZDF, Friedrich Merz said he and other European leaders had been briefed by US President Donald Trump following his meeting in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The good news is that America is ready to participate in such security guarantees and is not leaving it to the Europeans alone,” he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to meet Donald Trump in Washington on Monday. Friedrich Merz said a three-way meeting between Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy should follow soon with the goal of reaching a peace agreement.
“If that works out, it’s worth more than a ceasefire,” he noted.
Friedrich Merz added that Donald Trump suggested Russia might be willing to negotiate based on the current front lines rather than the wider regional borders Moscow claims.
“This is a huge difference because Russia is claiming territories that it hasn’t occupied yet,” Friedrich Merz told ZDF.
In a separate interview with broadcaster n-tv, Friedrich Merz said he did not expect Monday’s Donald Trump–Zelenskyy talks to be as contentious as their February meeting, when the two leaders clashed publicly. He said European leaders would speak with Zelenskyy on Sunday to help him prepare.
“We’ll give a few good pieces of advice,” Friedrich Merz remarked.
The chancellor also underlined the importance of US involvement in resolving the conflict, saying, “The American president has the power both militarily and via appropriate sanctions and tariffs to ensure that Russia moves more than it currently does.”
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