Merz: No troops will be sent to Ukraine until a ceasefire is reached

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz participated in a television program in Germany and made assessments regarding the current agenda. Regarding European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's statements about preparations to send military units to Ukraine, Chancellor Merz said that his country currently has no concrete plans to send peacekeeping forces to Ukraine. Merz stated, "No troops will be sent to Ukraine until a ceasefire is reached, and even after that, I have serious reservations about this for our country."

Pointing out that long-term security guarantees can only be decided after a ceasefire or peace agreement is reached, Merz emphasized that there are serious reservations about the deployment of German soldiers even after a ceasefire and peace agreement are achieved. Merz said, "I have said that the German parliament must approve this. Furthermore, it depends on how the agreement reached with Russia turns out. There are still many obstacles ahead, and it will likely continue this way for a long time."

Regarding the deployment of European troops to Ukraine, Merz used the expression, "Military support for Ukraine is the responsibility of the member states in the Coalition of the Willing, not the EU Commission," and added, "We are helping Ukraine in its struggle against Russia's aggression. This is the most important security guarantee."

HARSH WORDS FROM MERZ TO PUTIN

German Chancellor Merz stated that he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin is currently not interested in a ceasefire, saying, "Putin is a war criminal. He is perhaps the most severe war criminal of our time. We must be clear about how to deal with war criminals. Making concessions on this matter is inappropriate."

Regarding the possibility of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Merz said, "Putin is currently not under enough pressure to participate in negotiations."

In an interview with the US press, EU Commission President von der Leyen had mentioned plans regarding the deployment of ground troops to Ukraine following a ceasefire. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius was the first to react to Ursula von der Leyen's statements.

On Thursday, it was announced that a meeting would be held with the participation of 30 countries to discuss security guarantees to be provided to Ukraine in the event of a peace agreement with Russia, upon the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron. It was stated that many of the 30 country representatives would attend the meeting via video conference.