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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced on Thursday that his country currently has no concrete plan to send peacekeeping forces to Ukraine, stating that no troops will be deployed until at least a ceasefire is achieved.
Speaking to Sat1 television, Merz emphasized the conditional nature of any potential peacekeeping mission.
"Many questions can only be answered after at least a ceasefire is achieved. Until then, no soldiers will definitely be sent to Ukraine," Merz said.
The German chancellor noted that discussions among Ukraine's allies regarding possible security guarantees following a ceasefire and subsequent peace agreement are ongoing.
Merz indicated that Berlin has reservations about potential peacekeeping operations and stressed that any final decision would require approval from the German Parliament.
"Then we will need to examine how the agreement with Russia turns out. This cannot be done against Russia, but only together with Russia. Therefore, there are probably many obstacles that need to be overcome for quite a long time," he stated.
During a joint press conference with Swiss Confederation President Karin Keller-Sutter in Berlin, Merz outlined Germany's current approach to supporting Ukraine.
"The most important security guarantee we can provide right now is to provide sufficient support to the Ukrainian army in its efforts to defend this country. We want to continue this," Merz said.
The chancellor announced that Thursday's online "Contact Group" meeting would analyze the situation and discuss additional aid to Ukraine, with security guarantees playing a role in the discussions.
Merz suggested Geneva as an appropriate venue for potential talks between Ukraine and Russia, stating he would propose this during the Contact Group meeting.
"Ukraine must be able to defend its country in the long term, and we want to help it in this regard. Now and in the future," he said.
When asked about the possibility of a peace summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Merz expressed doubt about Putin's willingness to engage.
"Putin is gaining strength and is currently not under enough pressure to participate in negotiations," Merz said.
The German chancellor criticized Putin's position, observing how the Russian leader perceives his interactions with world leaders.
"He sees how the U.S. President (Donald Trump) deals with him. He sees how other world leaders deal with him, for example, at the Shanghai summit," Merz noted.
Merz argued that Western countries could increase pressure on Moscow by implementing stronger economic sanctions, though he emphasized this would only be successful with active support from the U.S. administration.
Addressing questions about European troop deployment to Ukraine, Merz clarified the command structure for military assistance.
"Military support to Ukraine is the responsibility of member countries in the Contact Group, not the EU Commission," he said.
Swiss President Keller-Sutter emphasized her country's traditional neutral stance while expressing readiness to facilitate dialogue.
"Switzerland's neutrality is a characteristic of the people's identity," she said, adding that Switzerland remains ready to host talks in Geneva.
However, she stressed the importance of parties' willingness to engage: "What I mean is, no matter how good a conference venue you provide, if people are not willing to talk to each other, it doesn't make sense."
In television program appearances, Merz delivered harsh criticism of the Russian president.
"Putin is a war criminal. He is perhaps the most serious war criminal of our time. We must be clear about how to deal with war criminals. Compromise on this issue is inappropriate," Merz stated.
The German position comes in response to comments from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen regarding potential deployment of ground forces to Ukraine following a ceasefire.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius was the first to react to von der Leyen's statements.
A 30-country meeting is scheduled for Thursday, organized by French President Emmanuel Macron, to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a peace agreement with Russia, with representatives from many countries participating via video conference.
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