German chancellor vows ‘to support Ukraine as long as possible’

BERLIN

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday pledged continued strong support for Ukraine in its war with Russia ahead of the upcoming EU summit in Brussels.

“The task now is to present the joint position of Europe, Ukraine, and the US to Russia and bring this war to an end. I will leave no doubt that it is the firm intention of my government to support Ukraine for as long as necessary,” said Merz during a question-and-answer session in the German parliament in Berlin.

"We will not repeat the mistakes of 2014," as there can be no peace plan without security guarantees, he added, referring to Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, which was part of Ukraine.

Merz stressed Europe's security is “inextricably” linked to the fate and security of Ukraine.

“We want a ceasefire and peace in Ukraine as soon as possible, and we also agree that only a balanced peace plan can bring long-term peace to Ukraine and thus to the whole of Europe. We are currently witnessing great diplomatic momentum on the path to a peace process,” he said.

Merz reiterated that Ukraine needs to be able to defend itself against Russian attacks and have “reliable security guarantees” as part of a likely future peace agreement.

“The messages we are sending out from the Berlin Conference are clear. First, lasting peace cannot and must not be achieved at the expense of Ukraine or European security. This also means that Ukraine must not be forced to make unilateral and unacceptable territorial concessions,” he said.

“Second, Ukraine must continue to be able to defend itself effectively against future Russian attacks. To do so, it needs strong armed forces of its own and reliable security guarantees from its partners. And on this point, I would say that we made considerable progress at the Berlin Conference last Sunday and Monday,” Merz added.