German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is scheduled to speak with US President Donald Trump by phone on Sunday, according to a statement made to ARD Tagesthemen. The conversation is expected to focus on the planned meeting between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin next Friday.
“We are intensively preparing, at the European level in cooperation with the American government, for this meeting” Merz stated, adding he hopes Ukraine will be included in the discussions. The Chancellor also addressed ongoing European initiatives aimed at achieving an end to the conflict, emphasizing, “We cannot accept decisions regarding territorial questions between Russia and the United States being made without the involvement of Europeans and Ukrainians”. He expressed confidence that the US administration shares this perspective.
Merz voiced hope for a positive outcome from the Trump-Putin meeting. “Naturally, I hope for a breakthrough – as do many others” he said. He underlined that the key message to President Putin is that any peace agreement cannot reward Russian aggression or encourage further hostile actions.