German Chancellor Friedrich Merz faced serious difficulties in attempts to advance negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. Despite optimistic statements last week, no real agreements were reached, reports Deutsche Welle.
Source: PRYAMYI
Although the parties discussed possible contacts between French President Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Putin, this did not produce practical results. Merz’s role as a key European negotiator did not meet expectations. Europe, the US, and Ukraine coordinated their positions without Russia, and without Moscow, any peaceful resolution remained impossible.
Disputes arose over several key issues: security guarantees for Ukraine modeled on NATO’s Article 5 lost support, the initiative for European peacekeeping forces failed, and the use of frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine was not agreed upon due to legal risks and impacts on financial markets.
As a result, Ukraine will receive about €90 billion in aid from EU funds, but not from Russian assets. Deutsche Welle notes that the decision could have been more effective if it had been prepared in advance rather than after the failure of alternative scenarios.