German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has announced a surprise trip to Washington, where he will join US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for talks on ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The meeting, scheduled for Monday, August 18, at the White House, follows Trump’s inconclusive summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, which ended without a ceasefire deal.
Merz confirmed his attendance in an interview with German broadcaster ZDF on Saturday, August 16.
According to him, the US was prepared to be part of strong security guarantees for Ukraine.
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Germany and Other Countries Represented at the Meeting
The Washington meeting is expected to be attended by several European leaders after Trump briefed allies on his talks with Putin.
Additionally, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described the discussions on Ukraine’s security as the most interesting developments from the Alaska summit.
Trump, who had for months pressed for an immediate ceasefire, has now shifted toward Putin’s preferred path of negotiating a broad peace agreement before halting fighting.
“Unfortunately, Trump has taken Putin’s position, and this was Putin’s demand,” Oleksandr Merezhko, head of Ukraine’s parliamentary foreign affairs committee, told Reuters.
Further, Zelensky warned that no decisions about Ukraine’s territory could be made without Kyiv’s direct involvement.
“All issues important to Ukraine must be discussed with Ukraine’s participation, and no issue, particularly territorial ones, can be decided without Ukraine,” he posted on X.
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Reactions Over the Meeting
The Ukrainian leader is expected to press Trump for clarity on the scope of proposed US and European security guarantees.
The guarantees are reportedly being modeled on NATO’s Article 5 principle of collective defense.
European leaders have offered praise for Trump’s role in the talks. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer commended him for bringing the parties closer than ever before to ending Russia’s illegal war.
On the other hand, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský acknowledged Trump’s efforts but criticized “propagandistic nonsense” from Putin during the Alaska press conference.
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