The new Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, in his interview with the newspaper Die Welt, noted that the question of sending German troops to Ukraine to guarantee peace is «not even on the table right now». According to him, the situation in Ukraine remains far from a ceasefire and a peace agreement.
This is reported by Kyiv24
In his speech during his first international trip as Chancellor, Merz emphasized the potential for Berlin’s involvement in ensuring the security of Kyiv or monitoring the ceasefire process.
“We could certainly continue to provide very strong support to the Ukrainian army, supplying it with weapons through the United States as part of joint European efforts”
. He added that the conditions and scope of possible security guarantees for Ukraine have not yet been defined, as the specific scenario remains uncertain.
A look at the role of German and European support
Merz noted that until a permanent ceasefire and a corresponding agreement with Russia is reached, Berlin cannot guarantee specific actions in this area.
“We simply do not yet know the conditions”
– he emphasized at a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. The Chancellor also stressed that the United States plays a key role in ending Russia’s war against Ukraine and added that «without further political commitments from the United States» this is impossible. At the same time, according to Merz, Europeans are ready to contribute to supporting Ukraine, but cannot replace the U.S. in this role.
The elected Chancellor took office on May 6 and less than a day later held meetings in Paris and Warsaw with the leaders of France and Poland. According to the DPA agency, Merz agreed with Macron on a new start to relations between the countries to strengthen Europe, and with Tusk – emphasized the importance of Poland’s role in ensuring the security of NATO’s eastern flank and supporting Ukraine. Tusk, meanwhile, expressed cautious criticism regarding plans to strengthen border checks to curb illegal migration, emphasizing that such strengthening should primarily concern the external borders of the European Union.