US ready to be part of security guarantees for Ukraine, Germany's Merz says
Speaking to German broadcaster ZDF, 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,' Merz said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet Trump in Washington on Monday. Merz told ZDF that a three-way meeting between Trump, Putin and Zelenskyy should follow soon with the aim of agreeing to a peace deal. 'If that works out, it's worth more than a ceasefire,' he said.
Merz added that Trump suggested Russia might be willing to negotiate on the basis of 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,' he told ZDF.
In a separate interview with broadcaster n-tv, Merz said he did not expect Zelenskyy's talks with Trump to be as difficult as those in February, 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,' Merz said.
Merz also stressed that while European unity was important, the US would remain central to the conflict. 'The American president has the power both militarily and via appropriate sanctions and tariffs to ensure that Russia moves more than it currently does,' he told Reuters.
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