Merz: 30-day ceasefire will be test for Putin
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz believes that a 30-day ceasefire will be a test for Russian leader Vladimir Putin's readiness to negotiate a long-term peace.
He expressed this opinion on Friday in Brussels at a joint press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Merz recalled that the 30-day ceasefire is an initiative of US President Donald Trump, with whom the German Chancellor had a telephone conversation on Thursday. "This is another big initiative of the president, which calls for a 30-day ceasefire, which will begin today. This will be a test of how seriously Putin takes such agreements. Of course, not only today, when Moscow celebrates Victory Day, but also in the future - we will see whether it is possible to turn a 30-day ceasefire into real peace talks," he said.
The German Chancellor stressed that now "the ball is completely in Moscow's court, nowhere else." "We agree here in Europe to support Ukraine, the United States also supports Ukraine. Now the ball is in Moscow's court, and only there (in the Russian Federation) do they need to show that the Russian government is serious about peace in Ukraine," Merz added.
