“The massive strikes on Kyiv are a slap in the face to all those fighting for a ceasefire,” said Friedrich Merz after meeting with Zelensky.
The German Chancellor announced that military support for Ukraine would be expanded so that Kyiv could defend itself against Russian aggression. In addition, Germany would pressure Russia to weaken Moscow’s military machine and pave the way for negotiations.
“We discussed efforts to achieve a ceasefire. No one wants peace as much as Ukraine. Kyiv has been ready for a ceasefire for several weeks now. The next step is negotiations with Russia. We are counting on the support of the United States. Moscow wants to buy time. We are still waiting for the memorandum announced by Putin a week ago,” Merz noted.
He also announced that Ukraine was ready for further technical talks with Russia, regardless of the venue, and that the Europeans were prepared to support this process.
Germany will continue to support Ukraine for as long as necessary, Merz said.
“The war has changed relations between Ukraine and Germany, both at the public and the governmental level. Intergovernmental consultations will take place at the end of the year for the first time in many years. Almost all German federal government ministers are working closely with their Ukrainian counterparts. And we will continue to expand this cooperation,” Merz concluded.
