Merz calls for development of peace plan for Ukraine after conversation with Zelensky

18 October 09:15

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Ukraine now needs a peace plan. The politician made this statement after a group telephone conversation with other European leaders and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which took place on Friday, October 17, following the meeting between the President of Ukraine and US President Donald Trump.

This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to DW.

During the conversation, European leaders, including Merz, promised to increase support for Ukraine in order to “encourage Russia to engage in serious negotiations.” In particular, it is planned to increase pressure on Moscow through sanctions and to attract frozen Russian state assets.

“Volodymyr Zelenskyy enjoys the full support of Germany and our European friends on the path to peace,” Merz said. It is noted that after the meeting with Trump, European leaders discussed further actions with Zelenskyy and intend to closely monitor the next steps.

Zelensky spoke with European leaders immediately after meeting with Trump

The Ukrainian leader held a group phone call with European politicians after his conversation with the US president and before speaking to journalists. At the briefing, Zelenskyy mentioned that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and the prime ministers of Great Britain, Italy, Norway, and Poland took part in the conversation.

“I spoke about my conversation with US President Donald Trump. We discussed many important details. The most important thing now is to protect more lives, ensure security for Ukraine and strengthen all of us in Europe. This is what we are working for,” Zelensky later commented on the conversation on his Telegram channel.

The third meeting between the Ukrainian and American leaders since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025 took place on October 17. The main topic for the presidents’ conversation was to be the possible supply of long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine, which has been actively discussed in recent days, including during the presidents’ telephone conversations.

Following the meeting, Zelenskyy said little about the Tomahawk delivery, pointing to an agreement with the United States not to discuss the delivery in public, as the United States “does not want an escalation” in the war between Russia and Ukraine. Trump said that the meeting was “very interesting and friendly” and that he had “strongly recommended” Zelenskiy and former Russian President Vladimir Putin: “It’s time to stop the killing and make a deal!”

Анна Ткаченко
Editor

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