Friedrich Merz says talks with "Russia, perhaps China and the United States of America" need Ukraine

Chancellor Friedrich Merz, speaking at Singapore’s Yusof Ishak Institute, said Germany and other European governments are trying to establish a channel for talks with Moscow over Ukraine. He said continued backing for Kyiv was necessary while Russian President Vladimir Putin refuses to end the war, linking that assistance to protecting Europe’s political system. Merz argued that Russia, Ukraine, the United States and European countries should all be represented in negotiations, and he cautioned against a settlement involving Moscow and Washington, and possibly Beijing, that excluded Kyiv. In related diplomacy, the Finnish and Norwegian leaders called Putin on Tuesday to urge him to stop the war, a departure from the usual Western European reluctance to engage the Kremlin directly.