The Ukrainian president accused Russia of stalling peace talks and said Moscow did not want to halt its three-year invasion, adding that “they will constantly look for reasons not to end the war”.
Merz said that “the massive air strikes, particularly on the city of Kyiv over the weekend, do not speak the language of peace, but rather the language of a war of aggression”.
“This is a slap in the face of all those who are trying to bring about a ceasefire in Ukraine itself, but also in Europe and the USA.”
He warned that “the Russian side’s refusal to hold talks, the refusal to observe a ceasefire, now really has consequences, and we are drawing these consequences every day”.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state media when asked about Merz’s weapons announcement: “All these actions naturally hinder peace efforts.”
Merz also pointed to reports that Russia and American investors are hoping to resume Russian gas deliveries through the destroyed Nord Stream pipelines running through the Baltic Sea and vowed that Germany will “do everything” to ensure this will not happen.
