US, Europe must jointly increase pressure on Russia – Merz

The head of the German government made the statement during a speech in the Bundestag on Wednesday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“I want to clearly emphasize how urgent and how essential it is for the United States and Europe to work together to help achieve a just peace in Ukraine. This is a matter of security, freedom, and peace for the entire transatlantic area – not just a question of the territorial integrity of a large European country. It is a matter of humanity and justice. And it is also a matter of asserting ourselves as part of what we proudly call the free world,” Merz said.

He stressed that Ukraine has long been ready for peace negotiations, while Russia is “systematically undermining all peace efforts” by continuing attacks on civilians and energy infrastructure.

“Therefore, the need of the hour is to increase pressure on Moscow – and to do so jointly, by the United States and European partners,” the Chancellor emphasized.

Against this backdrop, he pointed to “credible data” showing significant losses to the Russian economy as a result of the war and sanctions, which, he said, should remain a key lever of influence.

Separately, the German Chancellor stressed that Europe must be a full participant in negotiations on a future peace settlement in Ukraine and “take part in determining what security guarantees for Ukraine may look like.”

“It is unacceptable for negotiations between Russia and the United States to take place without Ukraine and without Europeans. From our point of view, this is unacceptable,” Merz said.

As previously reported by Ukrinform, the United States decided to temporarily lift sanctions on the sale of Russian oil and petroleum products loaded onto vessels until March 12.