German Chancellor Merz said on Tuesday that the United States and Russia cannot
end the war in Ukraine without Ukraine’s participation and that any negotiations
must include European states. He said the timing of an end to the war depends on
one person — Putin — and added that as long as Putin is unwilling to stop the
war, Western support for Ukraine will continue. Merz said Europe is defending
not only Ukraine’s territorial integrity but the continent’s political order. He
said Germany and other European countries are working to establish a mechanism
for dialogue with the Russian government, and that Norway and Finland have
played a constructive role in that effort.
