Putin and Zelensky's Meeting Will Not Take Place, German Chancellor

The meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will not take place. This was reported by the German publication Deutsche Welle. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed this opinion during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday.

"We need to revisit this issue today, based on the fact that the meeting between President Zelensky and President Putin will obviously not happen," Merz stated, discussing the continuation of diplomatic efforts.

According to him, this is "different from what President Trump and President Putin agreed upon last week," which was discussed during Trump's meeting in Washington.

Merz arrived in France to participate in the German-French governmental consultations. Earlier, Merz had stated that Moscow is applying a "delay strategy" regarding this issue, linking the confirmation of the meeting to certain preliminary conditions.

Following a phone conversation with Putin last week, Trump announced that a plan for a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents is being developed. The Kremlin, for its part, has only announced its willingness to elevate discussions to the level of delegations.