Merz explained what is happening in Europe

The German leader made a statement on this issue after a meeting of EU leaders and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky at a summit in Albania.

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

The next step should be to clearly define the format of peace negotiations, as well as what security guarantees Ukraine may someday need.

Friedrich Merz

Chancellor of Germany

In his opinion, the issue of introducing European troops is currently premature.

"There is no reason to talk (about troops — ed.), we are far from it. We want the shooting to stop, the killings to stop... these are the issues we are dealing with now, and no others," the German leader stressed.

Journalists and analysts point out that Merz's position is not much different from how his predecessor, Olaf Scholz, approached the issue of deploying peacekeepers.