Friedrich Merz also addressed strong words to the USA, raising doubts about the US administration’s strategy in relation to the conflict in Iran, even stating that “an entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggested this Monday that Ukraine may have to cede some territory in a possible future peace agreement with Russia, linking these concessions to the country’s prospects for joining the European Union (EU).
“At some point, Ukraine will have to sign a ceasefire agreement; at some point, hopefully, a peace treaty with Russia. It may be that at that point part of Ukrainian territory will cease to be Ukrainian,” admitted Merz, during a visit to a school in Marsberg, cited by Reuters.
“If President Zelensky wants to communicate this to his people and get a majority in favor, and if he needs to hold a referendum on the issue, then he will have to, at the same time, tell the people: ‘I have opened the way to Europe for you,'” Merz added.
Until now, the start of Ukraine’s EU accession process has always been blocked by former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, but his defeat in the elections earlier this month has raised hopes that Ukraine, which already has the official status of a candidate country, can move to the next stage of joining the EU bloc.
Even so, the German Chancellor warns that the accession process will not be as quick as desired by Zelensky, who suggested January 1, 2027 as the day on which Ukraine would officially be part of the EU.
“Zelensky suggested joining the EU on January 1, 2027. That won’t happen. Even January 1, 2028 is not realistic,” said Merz, quoted by the news agency.
German Chancellor says Iranians are “humiliating” the US
Regarding the conflict in Iran, the German Chancellor left strong words for the US, highlighting the Iranians’ “skill” in negotiating a ceasefire and raising doubts about the US administration’s strategy.
“The Iranians are clearly stronger than previously thought and the Americans also don’t have a really convincing strategy in negotiations,” Merz noted during the same visit to Marsberg, a town in his home region of Sauerland.
“The problem with conflicts like this is always the same: it’s not enough to enter, you have to leave. We saw this very painfully in Afghanistan for 20 years. We saw it in Iraq”, he recalled, and then drew a parallel with what we see today in Iran:
“At this point, I don’t see which strategic solution the Americans will choose, especially since the Iranians are clearly negotiating very skillfully — or rather, negotiating very skillfully so as not to negotiate,” he pointed out.
The German Chancellor went further and even said that “an entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, particularly the so-called Revolutionary Guard”.
Merz’s statements come on the same day that Iran presented a new proposal to the US to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war, proposing to postpone negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program until later.
According to the news website Axios, the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs presented in Islamabad, Pakistan – the country that is mediating the talks – a plan to circumvent the nuclear issue, proposing that the ceasefire be prolonged or that both parties agree to a definitive end to the war, leaving nuclear negotiations for later, after the reopening of the strait and the lifting of the blockade.
