German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that right now Ukraine needs a peace plan following a phone conversation with President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders.
According to Ukrinform, government spokesman Stefan Kornelius reported this, as stated by DW.
During the conversation after Zelensky’s meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday, European leaders, including Merz, pledged to strengthen support for Ukraine in order to “encourage Russia to engage in serious negotiations,” Kornelius said. In particular, there are plans to increase pressure on Moscow through sanctions and by utilizing frozen Russian state assets.
“Volodymyr Zelensky has a full support of Germany and our European friends on the path to peace,” Kornelius quoted Merz as saying.
It is noted that after the meeting between the presidents of Ukraine and the United States, European leaders discussed further actions with Zelensky and intend to closely monitor the next steps.
As Ukrinform reported, Zelensky said that the main points of his talks with European leaders after the White House negotiations were security guarantees and the “Coalition of the Willing.”
On Friday, a meeting between the presidents of Ukraine and the United States took place at the White House, with the main topic being measures to pressure Russia toward achieving peace.
The day before, Trump had a call with Putin, deeming the conversation “very productive.” Trump said he would meet with the Russian leader in Budapest to discuss the possibility of ending the “inglorious” war between Russia and Ukraine.