Merz: No peace plan for Ukraine without Europe's approval – media

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that no peace plan for Ukraine can exist without European approval of issues concerning European interests and sovereignty, Deutsche Welle reported on Monday.

"It's important to us that there can be no peace plan for Ukraine unless we give the go-ahead on issues concerning European interests and European sovereignty," Merz said, speaking to reporters at an informal summit of EU leaders.

"Ukrainian interests are also European interests, and we want to work together to ensure their long-term protection," he noted. According to Merz, these shared interests include the fact that Kyiv "cannot be forced into unilateral territorial concessions."

The head of the German government also believes it is important that Ukraine "can continue to effectively defend itself against aggression in the future." To achieve this, it needs strong armed forces and reliable security guarantees from its partners, he added.

At the same time, Merz noted that US President Donald Trump, during a phone call with him last week, expressed openness to a jointly developed peace plan for Ukraine. "And this is precisely what representatives of Ukraine, the USA, and EU members achieved yesterday in Geneva," the German Chancellor stated. "We welcome the fact that these negotiations in Geneva took place. We also welcome the interim results," he added.

Now, according to Merz, it's important to bring Russia into the negotiations. "If this is possible, then all the efforts have been worth it," he noted. At the same time, Merz said he doesn't expect a breakthrough in the peace process in Ukraine this week.