German Chancellor Friedrich Merz held a telephone conversation yesterday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, government spokesman Steffen Cornelius announced.
“Following Sunday’s talks in Geneva, the Chancellor and the Ukrainian President discussed the state of negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine,” Cornelius said.
Starmer: Putin’s ambitions do not stop at Ukraine
Earlier, Keir Starmer stressed that Vladimir Putin’s ambitions extend beyond Ukraine.
Starmer noted that the initial US draft included elements “that were not acceptable”, but also “very significant points essential for a just and lasting peace”. He emphasised that the two words — “just” and “lasting” — remain central to any agreement capable of ending the war.
Referring to the weekend discussions in Geneva, the British Prime Minister said “significant progress” had been made and that the United States and Ukraine had advanced work on an updated peace framework. “I can assure the House that efforts to finalise the plan are ongoing,” he said.
According to Starmer, a just and lasting peace can be achieved only under certain conditions:
- “Ukraine’s sovereignty must be preserved.”
- “Ukraine must be able to defend itself in the future.”
- “Matters relating to Ukraine and its future must be determined by Ukraine itself.”
- “Issues involving Europe and NATO require the consensus of European and NATO members.”
Starmer added that there is “still a long and difficult path ahead”, but assured that the British government is “more committed than ever” to achieving peace.
Speaking about Russia, the British Prime Minister stressed that “there is only one state that wants this war, only one state that launched this illegal invasion”. On Russian losses, he said: “In total, more than one million Russians have been killed or injured — all because of the warped ambitions of a single man.”
He also underlined that “every possible pressure” must be applied on Russia to accept a peace roadmap. “This concerns Europe just as much as it concerns Ukraine,” he added. “Putin’s ambitions do not stop at Ukraine — and neighbouring countries know this all too well.”
Also read: Merz and Trump align on next steps for Ukraine peace plan
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