Merz says Russia must ‘come to table’ on Ukraine

LUANDA: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday that Russia must “come to the table” for negotiations on ending the Ukraine war as his government welcomed progress following talks in Geneva.

Sunday’s meeting with US, European and Ukrainian officials was convened after a US proposal was criticised for accepting some of Russia’s hardline demands.

Washington and Kyiv described the Geneva meetings as “constructive” and said that negotiators had drafted “an updated and refined peace framework”.

Speaking on the sidelines of an international summit in Angola, Merz said Moscow, which launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, “must come to the table”.

“And if this is possible, then every effort will have been worthwhile,” he said.

Merz stressed that the discussions are a “long-lasting process” and added: “I don’t expect a breakthrough this week.”

US, Ukraine to continue work on ‘refined’ peace plan to end war with Russia

He also reiterated that Europe had to agree to any potential peace plan.

“It is important to us that there can be no peace plan for Ukraine if we do not give our consent to issues that affect European interests and European sovereignty,” he said.

Merz said Ukraine must not be “forced to make unilateral territorial concessions” and “must continue to be able to effectively defend itself against aggression”.

“To achieve this, it needs strong armed forces and reliable security guarantees from its partners.”

Earlier on Monday, a government spokesman in Berlin welcomed “progress” in efforts to hammer out a deal but refused to comment on the details of the talks or any new proposals that may have been drawn up.