Merz Questions Russia’s Commitment to Ukraine Ceasefire Talks

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday that he had seen no indication Russia was serious about negotiating a ceasefire in Ukraine, setting a skeptical tone ahead of next week’s US-led talks in Abu Dhabi. The meeting is expected to bring together representatives of the United States, Ukraine and Russia, while European officials may attend but are unlikely to have a formal place at the negotiating table. “It is important that Russia finally and seriously engages in negotiations about a ceasefire and a subsequent peace agreement,” Merz said during talks in Berlin with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“I do not see that happening so far.” His comments reflect uncertainty over whether the Abu Dhabi meeting can produce an initial truce or advance broader negotiations. Zelenskyy said he hoped the discussions could lead to a direct meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said the talks, described in the reports as the first trilateral meeting of their kind since February, and other diplomatic efforts could eventually create a format involving the two presidents and the Ukrainian leader.

Putin has so far rejected several offers from Zelenskyy for face-to-face discussions, according to DW. Both leaders argued that Europe must help determine the terms of any lasting settlement. Merz said European countries should have a say on sanctions and postwar security arrangements.

Zelenskyy said a sustainable peace was impossible without Europe at the negotiating table and called for security guarantees supported by European countries and the United States. Ukraine is seeking several immediate measures alongside any wider ceasefire, Zelenskyy said. These include an end to attacks on energy infrastructure, safe passage for grain shipments in the Black Sea and additional prisoner exchanges.

Merz said a local ceasefire in Oleshky might offer a model for a broader halt in fighting, but warned that Russian activity in the Black Sea could cause further escalation. He also accused Russia of worsening a global food crisis, particularly for poorer countries. The diplomatic discussions took place as Ukrainian officials reported further Russian attacks.

Zelenskyy said at least 33 people were killed after strikes on Monday hit a school building in a frontline southeastern village that was being used to distribute aid. He said more than 50 people could still be trapped under the rubble. Ukrainian officials alleged that a second strike hit after rescue workers arrived, killing some responders and destroying emergency vehicles.

Zelenskyy called the incident “one of the largest Russian killings of this war.” In the northeastern city of Kharkiv, a hospital strike on Tuesday injured at least 73 people, according to regional prosecutors, and forced the transfer of 226 patients to other hospitals. The reports provide Ukrainian accounts of the attacks but do not include a Russian response to the casualty allegations. Merz said Germany would soon provide additional assistance for Ukraine’s air-defence capabilities and energy sector, with further support planned for the coming winter.

Zelenskyy thanked Berlin for helping protect Ukrainian airspace and energy infrastructure, while saying Ukraine urgently needed more air-defence equipment, including Patriot interceptors. The Ukrainian president has told European Union leaders that Kyiv would require an additional €70 billion from European governments next year, according to the report. Germany plans to host a mid-November summit of countries supporting Ukraine, while Brussels is due to host talks on security guarantees and reconstruction involving Ukraine, the United States, European partners and NATO.