Germany's Merz assumes Zelensky will join Trump-Putin summit - War in Ukraine
Putin and Trump will meet in the US state of Alaska on Friday to try to resolve the three-year conflict between Russia and Ukraine, despite pleas from Ukraine and Europe that Kyiv must be part of negotiations.
"We hope and assume that the government of Ukraine, that President Zelensky will be involved in this meeting," Merz said in an interview with broadcaster ARD.
Merz told ARD that Berlin was working closely with Washington to try to ensure Zelensky's attendance at the talks.
"We cannot accept in any case that territorial questions are discussed or even decided between Russia and America over the heads of Europeans and Ukrainians," he said. "I assume that the American government sees it the same way."
Merz added that he hoped that the talks could make significant progress towards a peace settlement and even produce a "breakthrough".
"We hope that there will be a breakthrough on Friday," he said. "Above all (we hope) that there will finally be a ceasefire and that there can be peace negotiations in Ukraine."
Three rounds of talks between Russia and Ukraine this year have failed to bear fruit.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with millions forced to flee their homes.
Putin, a former KGB officer who has held power in Russia for more than 25 years, has ruled out holding talks with Zelensky at this stage.
He insists the invasion was necessary to protect Russian speakers in Ukraine as well as Russia's security.
Ukraine's leader has been pushing for a three-way summit and argues that meeting Putin is the only way to make progress towards peace.
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