Ukraine diplomacy ‘exhausted’ – German chancellor

Berlin will continue to supply Kiev with weapons despite domestic opposition, Friedrich Merz has insisted

There are no viable diplomatic options remaining to settle the Ukraine conflict, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has claimed, doubling down on his policy of providing weapons to Kiev.

Berlin has been the second largest arms supplier to Kiev since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, surpassed only by the US. Russia has consistently denounced Western weapons deliveries, saying they do not change the overall course of the conflict and merely serve to prolong the bloodshed and risk further escalation.

Speaking in the German parliament on Wednesday, Merz claimed that the “means of diplomacy are exhausted” regarding the conflict, but that he would aim to prevent a Russian victory.

“We will continue to assist Ukraine, even despite the resistance from the political left and the Russia-friendly right here in the house,” the chancellor said, apparently referring to the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and the Left party.

He denounced AfD co-chair Alice Weidel for not commenting on the latest Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine, which, according to Merz, was the largest since the escalation of the conflict in 2022.

Last week, German government spokesman Stefan Kornelius confirmed that “intensive discussions” were taking place with Washington regarding the possibility of Berlin purchasing air defense systems and munitions from US manufacturers and handing them over to Ukraine.

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In May, the Germany Defense Ministry announced that it would provide €5 billion ($5.6 billion) to “finance the production of long-range weapon systems in Ukraine.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov condemned the decision, claiming that Germany is “competing with France for primacy in further provoking war.”

The same month, Kiev agreed to direct talks with Russia following pressure from US President Donald Trump, marking the first such negotiations in three years.

However, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has accused some EU member states of seeking to undermine the negotiations and prolong the conflict. Speaking last month, Ryabkov cited Merz as an example, accusing him of providing weapons to Kiev and attempting to push Trump toward a more aggressive pro-Ukraine stance.

In late May, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed that Berlin’s “direct involvement in the war is now obvious.”

“Germany is sliding down the same slippery slope it already followed a couple of times in the last century – down toward its own collapse,” he warned.

Around the same time, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called into question the credibility of French President Emmanuel Macron’s statements in support of the Ukraine peace process.