Merz: Joint peace plan meant to launch process, for that to happen, Russia must come to negotiating table
A joint peace plan can only begin once Russia sits down at the negotiating table, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said.
“Peace in Ukraine will not be achieved overnight. The joint peace plan is meant to launch a process. For that to happen, Russia must come to the negotiating table now. As long as there is no visible willingness to do so, there will be no process and no peace,” he said on X Monday.
According to him, “at this pivotal moment, we Europeans stand and act united: We are committed to achieving a ceasefire and a just peace for Ukraine – as soon as possible. We are committed to safeguarding Europe’s security.”
Vladimir Putin's aide, Yuri Ushakov, stated on Monday morning that the Kremlin is aware of the European peace plan, but believes its provisions are unconstructive and unsuitable for Russia. "This morning, we learned about the European plan, which, at first glance, does not seem to be constructive at all," Putin's aide said.
Ushakov claims that Russia has been familiarized with one of the US peace plan's drafts, but no specific negotiations have taken place. He also claims that many provisions of the document, which was discussed in Alaska, are acceptable to Russia. Putin's aide notes that the peace plan for Ukraine is fraught with speculation, and Russia "only believes information received directly from the USA."
He suggests that the United States will soon contact Russia to "discuss the details of the peace plan in person; there are no specific agreements yet."
