German Chancellor Merz: We are not a plaything for great powers

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, ahead of theEuropean Union (EU) heads of state andgovernment summit to be held inBrussels, the capital ofBelgium, made a statementat the German FederalParliament before themade statements and answered questions from members of parliament. Merz, at the summit in Brussels, focused primarily on developments aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine War,new supportto be provided to Ukraine in the coming year, and the use of frozen Russian assets forUkraine.stated that issues regarding the implementation would be addressed.

"Whether Europecan achieve all of this is something that willlargely be decidedat the meeting to be held in Brussels," he said, continuinghis remarks byadding, "Europe'ssecuritythe future of Ukraine and thesecurity are inextricably linked. Russia is waging a brutal war not only against Ukraine, but againstall of Europe," he said.As the US, Ukraine, and Germany, they held in Berlin

ameeting.Touching upon the negotiations,Merz said, "We are in agreement with Ukraine and the US. In Ukraine, we wantthe soonest possibleceasefireand peace.We also agree that only a balanced peace plan can bring long-term peace to Ukraine and, consequently, toall of Europe.This gWe are experiencing a great diplomatic dynamism on the road to the peace process," he said.

Regarding the negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine War, for a lasting peace Ukraine'sand Europe's security, pointing to the importance ofensuring it, Merz said, "Ukraine should not be forced into unilateral and unacceptable territorial concessions. We must be able to effectively defend Ukraine against future Russian attacks. For thispurpose, Ukraine'sownstrong armamenforces and the robust security guarantees of its partners.Everyone knows the cost of war; now we are discussing the cost of peace, and that cost is for Germany to take its place amongits alliesand ensure the future securityof Ukraine after a ceasefire," he stated.

"WUNDE RTHE CIRCUMSTANCESWILL DETERMINE"

Diplomatic effortswill not only continue in the coming period butwill eventuallythat can bethe way forward, Merz expressed his hope, saying, "The outcome of the warwill determinethe future of the peaceorderacross all of Europeandwill largely determine. Russia is attempting to expand its spheres ofinfluence far beyond its own borders, into European countries.Russia iscurrently working to expand. Even now, Russia is carrying outhybrid attacks every day,with unmanned aerial vehicleswithmodern attacks, sabotage, espionage, cyberattacks, and targeted disinformation. Millions of Ukrainians are fighting not only for their own freedom but alsofor the freedomofall of us," he said.

"WEW ILL FINANCE UKRAINE FOR A YEAR"R"

The question of how frozen Russian state assets can be used to support Ukraine's defense in 2026iscrucial in the context of Europe'ssecurity and sovereignty, he emphasizedthe importance of. outlining his position, Merz said, "There are two goals here. The first is, of course, aid to Ukraine.The second is to show Russia that we can use the assets here for this purpose,that we can use themto bring this war to an endin the shortestpossibletime, and that we can use themto demonstrate that the continuation of this war is meaningless.to demonstrate. The use of these funds will, in our estimation, finance the Ukrainian army for at least two more years. We are not taking this step to prolong the war. We do not want to end the warwe want to take in theshortestpossible time to bring it to an end," he said.

Within the EuropeanUnion, especially regarding the frozenRussian assets, asignificantwhere the section is located, Belin Belgium, the government isworking to address concernsandstated that efforts are underway. Merz noted, "The European Commission's proposal is fully in line with internationallaw and our internationalobligations. Financial support for Ukrainecontinuing as we haveso far is not enough,and putting our fullpolitical weight behindpeace negotiations is not enough. We are doing everything, but it isclearto see that pressure is needed to convince Putin to engage in serious negotiationsshould be further increased," he said.

"WEARE NOT AWE ARE NOT A PLAYTHINGFOR ANYONE"

Merz, in the field of security and defenseAddressing thedevelopmentstaking place in the world, he noted that Germany cannot remain indifferent to them. Merz said, "We are not aplaything (pawn) of the great powers.We want to remainan active actor that resolutely defends our own interests and the values we hold,and we must remain so."We are. I firmly believe in this, and we can achieve it," he said.

Emphasizing the need to strengthen the European Union, the European pillar of NATO, and the common currency, the Euro,Merz continued his remarksby stating,"We want to increase our defense capabilitiesso that we do not have to defend ourselves."

Chancellor Merz also addressed questions from members of parliament before his speech in the Bundestag.answered. Following the negotiationsheld with Ukraine and the US,anumber of European countriesunder European leadershipregarding the establishment of a "multinational force for Ukraine"havebegun to make statementsReminding him of these statements, far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD)member of parliament Markus Frohnmaier asked Merz how many German soldierswere planned to be sent to Ukraineas part of the security guarantees.Merz responded to the deputy's question by first stating, "For weeks in Europe,together with the Americangovernment, a cease-We are discussing the potential security guarantees that could be provided to Ukraine in the event of an attack. At the moment, we are only discussing this," he repliedgave his answer. However, when Frohnmaier asked the same question once moreMerz replied, "There are questions in this world that are not as easy to answer as you might think. This is one of them. At least as long as I am able to speak,I will not leave Ukrainedefenselessagainst Russianinterventionwithoutsecurity guarantees."we will not repeat the mistakes of 2014, when we left it defenseless," he said.

When asked about what steps should be expected following the Berlin summit,Merz responded to anotherquestion by saying, "The ball is now in Russia's court. What needs to be done now is to present this joint position of the Europeans, Ukraine, and the United States to Russia and to call on them to end the warin Ukraine based on these proposals.This is the next step and will primarily be fired by the Americans," he replied.