Chancellor Merz said lasting peace in Ukraine is impossible without Europe's participation. He noted that a German government representative took part in this week's meeting in Oslo and that Berlin wants to move the process forward. All participants, he said, know that Europe must be at the negotiating table.
Germany supports every diplomatic format that could help end Russia's war against Ukraine as soon as possible, Merz said, but any future agreements must take into account the positions of both Ukraine and its European partners. "We are doing everything we can to end this war as soon as possible. Any negotiation format that serves this goal is welcome. But there will be no lasting solution if it is reached over the heads of Ukrainians or Europeans. This must be a joint effort," the chancellor said.
He said consultations will continue in the coming days, including another meeting at the level of foreign policy advisors. "We are using every opportunity for negotiations to end this war as soon as possible," he said.
On October 20, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held talks in Oslo with U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff. Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere also took part, and European representatives joined the preparatory consultations. The parties discussed territorial issues, security guarantees and Ukraine's post-war reconstruction.
On October 21, Witkoff met Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg. After that meeting, Witkoff said discussions on ending the Russian-Ukrainian war would continue in the format of trilateral technical-level talks.