BERLIN, Aug 13 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said European leaders had laid out terms for a ceasefire in Ukraine that would protect their security interests in a call on Wednesday with U.S. President Donald Trump.
European leaders including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held the call with Trump in a bid to influence his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, the first U.S.-Russia summit since 2021.
“We have made it clear that Ukraine must be at the table as soon as follow-up meetings take place,” Merz said in at the joint press conference with Zelenskyy.
“We want negotiations to proceed in the right order, with a ceasefire at the outset.”
Merz, who initiated the meeting with Trump, said that Ukraine was prepared to negotiate on territorial issues, but “legal recognition of Russian occupation is not up for debate”.
