Merz says Putin, Zelensky to meet in 2 weeks

BERLIN - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are expected to meet within two weeks.

He made the remarks during a press conference after attending a multilateral meeting at the White House, where US President Donald Trump hosted Zelensky and other European leaders to address the Ukraine crisis.

"It's a good meeting," Merz said on social platform X, but cautioned that the subsequent steps would be more complex.

"We must put pressure on Russia," Merz wrote, reiterating that "there must be a ceasefire before further talks."

Ahead of the talks, Merz said he "can't imagine" another round of meetings without a ceasefire, noting that a ceasefire is needed before serious negotiations can begin. Trump, however, has repeatedly said that a ceasefire is not necessary to solve the crisis.

"It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which oftentimes do not hold up," Trump wrote on his social platform Truth Social on Saturday.