On Saturday morning, Trump spoke with top EU leaders, including Merz, to update them on the high-stakes bilateral summit that concluded without an agreement. Trump has invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the White House for further talks on Monday.
Merz described the Alaska summit as a meeting of “light and shadow,” highlighting as positive that Trump made no concessions regarding Ukraine’s national sovereignty and borders. “No territorial concessions before there is a peace treaty,” Merz stated emphatically.
These comments follow reports that Trump indicated to European leaders that he now supports Ukraine ceding territory to Russia to cease hostilities, a stance Kyiv has long resisted.
In a separate interview with ZDF aired earlier on Saturday, Merz praised Washington’s willingness to share responsibility for Ukraine’s security.
“The good news is that America is ready to participate in such security guarantees and is not leaving it to the Europeans alone,” Merz remarked.
However, not everyone in Berlin shared his cautious optimism. In an interview with ARD on Saturday, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul criticized Trump’s “almost amicable” approach towards Putin, emphasizing that a ceasefire is crucial for advancing peace talks.
France, Germany, and Britain plan to hold a “Coalition of the Willing” meeting on Sunday afternoon, prior to Zelenskyy’s visit to the Oval Office on Monday.
“We’ll give a few good pieces of advice,” Merz told ZDF.
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