Merz to exclude Russia from Ukraine 'security guarantees' talks

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has announced his intention to exclude Russia from the process of drafting security guarantees for Ukraine should negotiations commence. Speaking after a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing for Ukraine in Paris, Merz stated, “How exactly we formulate our security guarantees [for Ukraine] will be decided by Ukraine and its partners, not Moscow.” He declined to disclose Germany’s specific involvement in the process, saying the matter would be left to the discretion of the German government and parliament, the Bundestag. On the provision of air defence systems to Ukraine, Merz said Germany, as Ukraine’s largest supporter, is making its contribution without providing further details. Nevertheless, Merz renewed his call for negotiations on Ukraine, as he believes the time is now right. The announcement came after Russia’s Foreign Ministry summoned the German ambassador to protest Germany’s alleged involvement in Ukrainian terrorist attacks against Russian civilian infrastructure, describing the increased German support for Ukraine as unacceptable. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova had previously stated that Germany has become a leading backer of the war in Ukraine and plays a foremost role in the militarisation process. Russia contends that weapons supplies to Ukraine hinder conflict resolution, directly involve NATO countries in the conflict, and constitute playing with fire. The Kremlin has stated that Western arms supplies to Ukraine do not support the negotiation process and will have negative consequences.