Ukraine must be ‘at the table' after Trump-Putin summit, says Merz
BERLIN : Ukraine must be part of any further talks following the planned meeting in Alaska between US President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Wednesday.
'Ukraine must be at the table when follow-up meetings take place,' Merz said after an online conference with Trump and European leaders, adding that 'a ceasefire must come first' before any peace negotiations.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky flew to Berlin on Wednesday and met Merz before they both joined other European leaders for talks with Trump ahead of his planned summit with Putin in Alaska on Friday.
Other leaders on the call included French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the heads of the EU and Nato.
Merz said a ceasefire 'must be the starting point' and that negotiations must include robust security guarantees for Kyiv and 'be part of a joint transatlantic strategy'.
He said, 'Ukraine is ready to negotiate on territorial issues,' but also that 'legal recognition of Russian occupations is not up for debate' and that 'the principle that borders may not be changed by force must continue to apply'.
'There is hope for movement, there is hope for peace in Ukraine,' he said.
Merz had called the meeting with Zelensky and European leaders on Wednesday to try to convince Trump to respect Kyiv's interests during his summit with Putin.
The German chancellor said the talks had been 'really constructive' and the leaders had 'wished President Trump all the best' with the meeting.
'We agreed that immediately after the meeting with President Putin, he would first inform the Ukrainian president and then immediately inform the European heads of state and government,' he said.
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