Von der Leyen: "European Leaders Hold Concrete Talks
on Security Force Deployment Plans"
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on the 31st (local time) regarding peace negotiations for Ukraine, "We are preparing for the possibility that this war could last even longer."
In an interview with ZDF on the same day, Chancellor Merz was asked whether a ceasefire would be possible within this year. He replied, "We do not give up hope that we can achieve it. However, we do not harbor any illusions." He added, "We are working to end the war as soon as possible, but never at the cost of Ukraine's surrender. Our top priority is to support the Ukrainian military so that they can continuously defend their country."
On August 18, Chancellor Merz, together with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, leaders of several European countries, and U.S. President Donald Trump, discussed security guarantees for Ukraine. At that meeting, after President Trump spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Merz left the meeting and said, "We agreed that a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents would take place within two weeks."
However, after Russia dismissed the possibility of an early summit with Ukraine and intensified its offensive on the battlefield, the outlook turned pessimistic. On August 28, Chancellor Merz met with French President Emmanuel Macron and stated, "Unlike what was agreed between Trump and Putin when we were together in Washington last week, it now seems unlikely that a meeting between Presidents Zelensky and Putin will take place." Chancellor Merz also addressed the issue of Western troops being stationed in Ukraine, saying, "At this point, no one is discussing the deployment of ground forces," and emphasized that establishing a comprehensive security framework should be the priority.
Meanwhile, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, told the British daily Financial Times (FT) that European countries are specifically discussing plans to deploy troops as part of security guarantees for Ukraine. While touring Eastern Europe, President von der Leyen said that defense ministers from countries participating in the so-called "Coalition of the Willing" met last week and "discussed fairly concrete plans."
She said, "Of course, deploying troops is the most significant sovereign decision a country can make, so a political decision by each nation is always required." While the United States has ruled out sending its own ground forces, European countries that have expressed willingness to deploy security forces include the United Kingdom, France, and Estonia. Russia, a party to the peace negotiations, maintains that it will never accept the stationing of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) troops in Ukraine.
Citing sources, the FT reported that the President of the European Commission, the Secretary General of NATO, and the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany are scheduled to gather in Paris, France, on the 4th to continue discussions on the Ukraine issue. President Zelensky, frustrated by the slow progress in security guarantee talks, said on August 29, "We need to elevate the discussions to the level of national leaders."
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