Germany's Merz: 'No illusions' over quick end to conflict in Ukraine
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday said he has "no illusions" over a quick end to Russia's war in Ukraine.
"We may have to prepare for a longer duration," Merz said after talks with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo in the south-western Finnish city of Turku.
Throughout history, conflicts have usually ended when one or both sides have reached exhaustion, either militarily or economically, said Merz.
"We are obviously still a long way from that in this war," he argued.
The German chancellor, who took office earlier this month, insisted that support for Ukraine would continue.
The war is not just about Ukraine's territorial integrity, he suggested.
"The political order that we established together with Russia after 1990 is being called into question," said Merz. "We are being threatened and we are defending ourselves against this."
The 69-year-old said joint efforts by the European Union, United Kingdom and United States in the past three weeks to pressure Russia to agree to a ceasefire have been unsuccessful.
"However, I had no illusions from the outset that this would happen very quickly," Merz said, adding that Russia has no interest in a ceasefire at the moment.
"As a consequence, this means that Ukraine must continue to defend itself and that we must intensify our efforts so that Ukraine can defend itself," the chancellor said.
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