Europe far from discussing military deployment in Ukraine - Merz

Merz said this after meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Reuters reports.

According to the head of the German government, the main task now is to achieve a ceasefire on the part of Russia.

He noted that the next step should be clarifying the format of peace talks and “determining what security guarantees could possibly, one day, be necessary for Ukraine.”

Merz described these issues as unpredictable.

“There is no reason to talk about (troops) at the moment, we are far from that. We want the weapons to stop, the killing to end ... these are the questions we are dedicated to now, and no others,” he added.

• On May 11, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz responded to Russian leader Vladimir Putin's proposal to resume peace talks with Ukraine, emphasizing that this can only happen after a ceasefire between the parties.
• The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc is working on an 18th round of sanctions to increase pressure on Putin over the war in Ukraine.