Merz and Trump insist on 30-day ceasefire with Russia
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says he spoke on the phone with US President Donald Trump, both insist on a 30-day ceasefire, which should start peace talks, otherwise even tougher sanctions await Russia.
He said this on Friday in Brussels at a joint press conference with European Council President Antonio Costa.
"I had a phone conversation with the American president yesterday evening, who informed me of his plan for a 30-day ceasefire. I expressed support for that idea. The German government also believes that a ceasefire is right, is the right way to go. And Russia will now also be forced to agree to a longer ceasefire that will create the space that is needed for a real peace plan," the German Chancellor said.
According to him, both senior officials "call upon Russia to now engage in a path towards a lasting peace, and if that does not happen, we will not hesitate to increase the pressure of sanctions with our European partner and the United States."
When asked by journalists to elaborate on the conversation with Trump regarding Russia's war against Ukraine, the Chancellor pointed to "a draft communique between the member states of the European Union. It's very much identical with the proposal for the 30-day ceasefire." "It really is now up to Russia, not just today and over the weekend, but certainly in light of the ceasefire that's been announced in the context of the 9th of May. It's up to them, and I think now is the time to move on and turn the ceasefire into the start of peace negotiations," he said.
"When it comes to the number of soldiers lost on both sides, that was something that Trump was very, very aware of. He's very aware of the price, the human price being paid in terms of casualties of the armed forces and others. And so I think he needs to increase the pressure on Russia so that after this weekend, we move on to a phase where there can be serious negotiations," Merz said.
Speaking about the support of Ukraine from the European Union, he said that Europeans not only need to do more for Ukraine, but also in this aspect they must increase and organize defense capabilities.
"And we're in close contact with France, the UK, Poland, and other European partners on this as well. And the president of the European Council and I exchanged on this this morning as well. We will be working in very close cooperation with our European partners to further support Ukraine, to support Ukraine in being able to effectively defend itself and to continue exerting pressure on Russia," Merz said.