German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, following a meeting of EU leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the summit in Albania, has stated that Europe is currently not considering deployment of troops to Ukraine, as the main priority remains achieving a ceasefire from Russia.

Source: Reuters

Details: Merz said that any plans for a future peace settlement must include a clear format for negotiations and potential security guarantees for Ukraine.

"The next step must be that the format for peace talks is made clear, as well as which security guarantees could possibly, one day, be necessary for Ukraine," Merz stated.

He emphasised that the issue of deployment of European troops is premature at this stage.

Quote: "There is no reason to talk about [troops] at the moment, we are far from that. We want the weapons to stop, the killing to end … these are the questions we are dedicated to now, and no others." 

Background: 

• Merz’s position on peacekeeping forces echoes that of his predecessor Olaf Scholz, who also prioritised peace talks over discussions about deploying peacekeepers to Ukraine.
• UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer previously expressed willingness to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine, but only if the United States guaranteed the security of European countries.
• Russia has repeatedly opposed the idea of deploying NATO member state troops on Ukrainian territory.

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