German Chancellor Friedrich Merz voiced doubts Monday about details of a U.S. plan to end the war in Ukraine, joining British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for talks at Downing Street in London.
"I'm skeptical about some of the details which we are seeing in the documents coming from [the] U.S. side. That's why we are here," Merz told reporters before the meeting.
Merz said Europe's support for Kyiv remains firm "because we all know that the destiny of this country is the destiny of Europe."
He said European countries "have a lot of cards in our hands," citing Ukraine's continued resistance and signs "that the Russian economy is starting to suffer."
Starmer said the goal must be "a just and lasting ceasefire."
After the meeting, he convened a wider call with European allies alongside Zelenskyy.
A Downing Street spokesperson said the leaders agreed that "now is a critical moment" and vowed to ramp up support for Ukraine and "economic pressure on Putin."
The London discussions followed U.S.-hosted talks with Kyiv and Moscow that have yet to deliver a breakthrough, with divisions over security guarantees for Ukraine and over Russia's territorial claims. More discussions are expected in London.
A U.K. official said London also wants movement "soon" on proposals to use frozen Russian state assets to help Ukraine, which faces an $83 billion budget shortfall next year, though the U.K. is not expected to act unilaterally.
Zelenskyy said unity was crucial, noting there are things "we can't manage without Americans [and] things we can't manage without Europe." He has also asked what partners would do if Russia attacked again.
President Donald Trump on Sunday said he was "a little bit disappointed" Zelenskyy had not read the proposal and suggested Russia "is fine with it."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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