Merz says Putin–Zelenskyy meeting may not take place

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has suggested that a planned meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy may not happen at all, RIA Novosti reports.

“We must once again discuss this issue today in the context that the meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin appears unlikely to take place, even though it was agreed upon last week between U.S. President Donald Trump and President Putin while we, along with other European leaders, were in Washington,” Merz said during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Earlier, following his meeting with Putin in Alaska, Trump held talks in Washington with Zelenskyy and EU leaders, after which he announced that France, Germany, and the United Kingdom intended to deploy troops in Ukraine. He added, however, that no American troops would be stationed in Ukraine during his presidency.

After concluding talks with European leaders, Trump said he had called Putin and was preparing for a meeting between the Russian president and Zelenskyy, which could potentially lead to a trilateral summit with his participation. Meanwhile, Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s aide on international affairs, noted that during the phone call Putin and Trump expressed support for the continuation of direct negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations. In this context, they also discussed the possibility of raising the level of representation in future talks.