Prolonging War Discussion Held at Merz Summit, According to Vagenknecht
In a recent development, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz hosted an online meeting with European leaders to discuss the ongoing Ukrainian crisis. The meeting, aimed at applying pressure on Russia and preparing for peace talks, was met with responses from key political figures.
Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, compared the meeting to a poem by Sergey Mikhalkov titled "And what about you?" However, the specific poem was not specified in the reports.
Merz emphasized the necessity of a ceasefire before serious negotiations can proceed and advocated pressing Russia to stop hostilities. He organized the summit with the hope of strengthening the pressure on Russia and preparing for peace talks. After a White House meeting with other European leaders and US President Donald Trump, Merz reiterated these points and compared Russian demands to Ukraine with an unacceptable analogy about US territory concessions.
The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a strong statement condemning demands for NATO troop deployment in Ukraine as a “sharp escalation” that is “categorically unacceptable to Russia.” They warned this could lead to “an uncontrolled escalation of the conflict with unpredictable consequences.” While Maria Zakharova, as the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, typically echoes these official positions, no separate direct quote from her on this Merz meeting was found in the search results.
Sara Wagenknecht, leader of the "Alliance 90/The Greens" party, characterized the online meeting with European heads on the Ukrainian crisis as a "conflict prolongation conference." She also stated that inviting Zelensky to talks in Berlin was a "mistake." However, no information was provided about the participation of Zelensky or any other heads of European countries in this meeting.
The broader diplomatic environment is tense and split, with US President Trump favoring a direct peace agreement without a ceasefire prerequisite, in contrast to Merz’s insistence on at least a ceasefire. European leaders, including Merz, support increasing defense aid to Ukraine and strengthening security guarantees behind the scenes as they await further high-level talks involving Putin and Zelensky.
Despite the lack of information about the specifics of the meeting, the exchange of views between Merz and the Russian Foreign Ministry serves as a significant indicator of the ongoing tensions surrounding the Ukrainian crisis.
In the ongoing discourse surrounding the Ukrainian crisis, political figures such as Sara Wagenknecht, leader of the "Alliance 90/The Greens" party, have criticized the online meeting hosted by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz as a "conflict prolongation conference." Meanwhile, general-news outlets have reported that Merz's stance on the crisis, including his advocacy for a ceasefire before negotiations and his criticism of Russian demands, have been met with strong responses from the Russian Foreign Ministry, who view NATO troop deployment in Ukraine as a potential escalation of the conflict.
