 "Merz says Putin-Zelenskyy meeting ‘obviously’ off")
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday said it had become “obvious” that a long-anticipated meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is no longer on the cards.
Speaking at a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, Merz said the Ukraine conflict would be a key focus of upcoming cabinet-level talks between Berlin and Paris.
“We will discuss the war in Ukraine in light of the fact that there will obviously not be a meeting between President Zelenskyy and President Putin, unlike what was agreed between President Trump and President Putin last week when we were together in Washington," Merz said as Macron welcomed him for a working dinner at Bregancon Fort in southern France.
Merz said he and Macron will hold bilateral discussions on several topics, including economic collaboration between the two countries, the situation between Ukraine and Russia, and the de-bureaucratisation of Europe.
With inputs from agencies
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