German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated on Sunday that he and leaders of the United Kingdom, France, and Poland will talk with US President Donald Trump before his planned call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday. The diplomatic initiative follows renewed, but unsuccessful, peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul.
Speaking to journalists at the Vatican, where he was present for the inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV, Merz explained that he had spoken with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the proposed Trump-Putin call. “We agreed to coordinate our efforts with the four leaders of the European states and the US president ahead of his call with Putin,” Merz said. He also spoke at length with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the same event.
President Trump indicated that he will discuss with both Putin and Zelenskyy how to put a stop to what he called the ongoing “bloodbath” of the Russia-Ukraine war. Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that preparations for the Trump-Putin call are ongoing.
The Istanbul talks were the first direct negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian teams since March 2022, immediately following Russia’s complete invasion. Although the meeting saw a major breakthrough on an agreement to release 1,000 prisoners of war, key differences are yet to be resolved. A senior Ukrainian official disclosed that Russian representatives insisted that Ukraine pull out of all Russian-held areas a demand Kyiv finds unacceptable.
Off the sidelines of the papal ceremony, Zelenskyy also had a meeting with US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary Rubio. This was the first encounter between Zelenskyy and Vance since their very public feud in February over US assistance to Ukraine.
As diplomatic channels reopen, European leaders want to take a more active role in dictating the course towards possible ceasefire discussions.
