German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that, in his view, Ukraine is in a “position of strength on the battlefield” and called on Russia to halt hostilities along the current front line and return to negotiations with Kyiv.
Merz made the statement at a conference on Ukraine’s reconstruction being held in Gdansk. He said Moscow would not be able to win the war and that European support for Kyiv remained firm.
“Russia will not win this war. European support for Kyiv is unwavering,” the chancellor said.
He also said that after the G7 summit, unity between European countries and the United States on support for Ukraine remains intact.
“And today we are sending a clear message to Russia: the time has come to enter negotiations, freeze the front line, and stop the killings,” Merz added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that Moscow is ready to negotiate with Ukraine, but only on terms it has already set out. Russia demands that Ukrainian forces withdraw from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions within their administrative borders, including areas not controlled by the Russian army.
According to sources cited by Ukrainian media, US President Donald Trump supports the long-range strikes that Ukraine has recently carried out against targets in Russia’s rear. According to those reports, he privately urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to act “more boldly” toward Moscow in order to push Russia back to negotiations.