Merkel: "If Ukraine falls, Putin will not stop"

According to German N-TV: On the eve of the Berlin Ukraine Summit on Monday, German Chancellor Merkel called for European unity. She said, "If Ukraine falls, Putin will not stop."

Chancellor Merkel, from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), spoke at a sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), congress held in Munich on Saturday, stating that, just like in 1938, concessions to aggression do not bring peace. If Russia wins in Ukraine, it will only encourage Putin, not stop him. Merkel called on Europe to remain united and support Ukraine. She supports using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine's reconstruction.

Recently, US President Trump has shown impatience with continuing discussions with Europe and Ukraine on a peace plan. However, according to an insider, US envoys Witkoff and Kushner will still travel to Berlin to meet with Zelenskyy and Merkel.

According to a U.S. government official familiar with the situation, the United States will send its special envoy for Ukrainian affairs, Steve Witkoff, as well as President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, to Berlin to participate in the Ukraine peace negotiations. The two U.S. envoys will meet with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy, German Chancellor Friedrich Merkle, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday.

The German federal government previously announced that the leadership of the EU and NATO will also join the talks that evening. In addition, on Sunday and Monday, Witkoff is scheduled to hold separate meetings with counterparts from France, the UK, and Germany. President Trump previously stated that he would only send formal representatives to related meetings if he believed the negotiations had prospects and had made substantial progress.

The insider pointed out that sending Witkoff highlights Washington's growing sense of urgency to bridge the remaining differences with Kyiv over the conditions of the peace plan proposed by the U.S. The goal of the Berlin talks is to form a common position on reaching a peace agreement with Russia. A representative from the French presidential office said they hope to present a negotiable proposal to Russia.

According to Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's chief negotiator, this meeting aims to further coordinate positions among all parties. In addition, the participants will discuss how to incorporate a security guarantee mechanism similar to NATO's collective defense obligation into the peace plan as a security guarantee for Ukraine.

The German federal government has confirmed that Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merkle will host Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on Monday. In addition to discussions on the peace negotiations, the two leaders will also attend a Germany-Ukraine economic meeting. Media reports indicated that talks are also planned under the so-called "E3" framework, involving Germany, the UK, and France.

The Augsburg Newspaper stated: For Ukraine, continued aid is a matter of life and death. However, the U.S. hesitates about using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine's reconstruction, while there are ongoing debates within the EU. The final decision may be made at the Berlin summit. Therefore, people are particularly worried that the summit might fail.

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1851436739776515/

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