Merz stressed that if a meeting between the leaders of the two countries is not organized within two weeks, then "the ball will again be in the court of the Europeans and the Americans," who will be forced to take further measures to resolve the situation.
According to Merz, US President Donald Trump proposed holding a trilateral meeting between him, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky if bilateral negotiations do not yield results.
The German Chancellor noted that the European Union (EU) is developing new sanctions packages against Russia, and US President Donald Trump does not rule out the introduction of additional penalties.
Merz also said that Europe and the US, together with Ukraine, are developing possible security guarantees for Ukraine, which should ensure long-term protection for the country.
Earlier, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov reported that during a telephone conversation, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump expressed support for continuing direct negotiations between the delegations of Russia and Ukraine.
Recall that earlier, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called the economic situation a structural crisis. Meanwhile, Chancellor Merz said Germany needed new trading partners.