German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said today that Russia's war in Ukraine could continue for "months" despite recent US-led efforts to end the conflict.
Speaking alongside French President Emmanuel Macron in France, Merz said he has "no illusions" about the possibility of a quick end to the war and vowed that "we will not abandon Ukraine."
Merz said he was "not surprised" by the Kremlin's continued delays over US President Donald Trump's attempt to organize direct talks between Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.
"It is part of this Russian president's strategy," he said.
"Earlier this week it became clear to me that President Putin is not willing to meet with President Zelensky and has set preconditions that are completely unacceptable," he added.
The German chancellor also said that keeping Ukraine's allies united in the so-called "coalition of the willing" is "one of our most urgent tasks."
President Trump held a summit with Putin in Alaska on August 15. He then hosted Zelensky and European leaders at the White House for talks. The US leader has set a two-week deadline to see how the parties behave, after which he will decide how to act./ REL