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Zelensky in Berlin, Merz promises long-range weapons. Moscow warns: ‘Germany should remember the dark times.’
The German chancellor announces a military shift in support of Kyiv, with joint arms production. Lavrov attacks: ‘Dangerous choices, already seen in the last century.’ Proposals for Ukrainian neutrality are also on the table
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was received in Berlin by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at a summit that marked a clear acceleration of German support for Ukraine. ‘We will increase our military support and there will be no restrictions: Kiev must be able to defend itself with all necessary means,’ Merz said, also opening up to joint arms production between Germany and Ukraine.
‘We want to equip the Ukrainian army with long-range systems and initiate industrial cooperation that can take place both in Germany and on Ukrainian territory,’ the chancellor said, adding that Russia’s refusal to agree to a ceasefire will have ’concrete consequences.’
Moscow reacts: ‘German politicians must stop this madness’
Moscow’s response came immediately from Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who harshly criticised the German approach: ‘We hope that there are still reasonable politicians in Germany who can stop this madness.’ Lavrov called Merz’s words, which aim to make the German army the most powerful in Europe, ‘disturbing’. ‘They remind us of the disasters of the last century,’ warned the head of Russian diplomacy.
Ukrainian neutrality, the key issue for Moscow
Lavrov then reiterated that Ukraine’s return to neutrality, as provided for in the 1991 declaration of independence, is one of the fundamental conditions for a possible peace agreement. ‘The promise of neutrality made it possible for Ukraine to be recognised as an independent state. Returning to that point is essential,’ he said.
Zelensky: ‘Tougher sanctions and summit with Trump and Putin’
Zelensky responded by calling for further tightening of sanctions against Russia, stressing that ‘the war must become painful for Moscow.’ The Ukrainian president said he was open to any negotiating platform, including the possibility of a trilateral summit with Putin and US President Donald Trump: ‘If a three-way format is needed, I’m in.’
According to Kiev, Russia is concentrating over 50,000 troops along the north-eastern region of Sumy, where Moscow aims to create a ‘buffer zone’ on Ukrainian territory.
Putin ready for peace, but only on his terms
Confidential sources cited by Reuters reveal that Vladimir Putin would be willing to negotiate, but only if Western leaders provide written guarantees on blocking NATO’s expansion eastward. In return, Russia is also demanding Ukraine’s neutrality, the lifting of certain sanctions, the unfreezing of frozen Russian sovereign assets and the protection of Russian speakers in Ukraine.
One of the sources warned that, in the absence of an agreement on these terms, Moscow will seek to impose even tougher conditions through new military victories.
Moscow awaits prisoner exchange before ‘memorandum’
Zelensky reported that Ukraine has not yet received the document promised by Moscow with the conditions for a lasting peace. According to the Kremlin, the memorandum will only be transmitted after the finalisation of the large-scale prisoner exchange that took place in recent days.
Meanwhile, Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, responded to Trump, who had accused the Russian leader of ‘playing with fire’: ‘We understand his desire to end the war, but for us, national interests come first’. A direct meeting between Putin and Zelensky, Peskov said, will only be possible after ‘concrete agreements on the issues under discussion’ have been reached.
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