Mertz on Trump's conversation with Putin: No sign that the war will end soon

Currently, there are no signs that Russia's war against Ukraine will end in the near future, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz believes. He expressed this opinion at the Construction Industry Day in Berlin, reports Tagesspiegel.

"What we're experiencing in Ukraine right now with Russia is causing me some concern about the days, weeks and possibly months ahead," Merz said.

He added that it was important to him that "we send a signal very quickly from Germany that we want to make more efforts than before to act in coordination with our European partners, but also, where possible, in coordination with our American partners".

The German chancellor also commented on the telephone conversation between US President Donald Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

"There are no signs that this war will end soon," the politician said.

He expressed hope that the Ukrainian and Russian sides will now be able to come together for a useful meeting in the Vatican.

"But this is, so to speak, the last earthly instance, and we all can only hope that at least there we will be able to unite the conflicting parties for a constructive discussion," Mertz emphasized.

• On May 19, Trump held a phone conversation with Russian dictator Putin.
• Afterwards, the US president informed Zelenskyy and Ukraine's European partners about the results of the talks.