Merz doubts Russia is serious about a truce

Speaking alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Berlin on Tuesday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he had seen no sign that Russia is serious about negotiating a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Zelenskyy and Merz both said the European Union must help shape any lasting peace.

Germany expects European representatives to be in Abu Dhabi for next week’s US-led talks with Ukraine and Russia, though they are unlikely to have a seat at the table.

“It is important that Russia finally and seriously engages in negotiations about a ceasefire and a subsequent peace agreement,” Merz said when asked about the Abu Dhabi talks. “I do not see that happening so far.”

Zelenskyy said he hopes the Abu Dhabi talks, the first trilateral sit down since February, could pave the way for a direct meeting between the Ukrainian president and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, who has thus far refused several offers from Zelenskyy for face-to-face talks. 

“We are counting on the fact that work in this format and our other diplomatic steps will open the way to a trilateral format at the level of leaders,” he told reporters. 

Europe must have a say on postwar security 

Merz said Europe must have a say on sanctions and postwar security.

He said the local ceasefire in Oleshky could serve as a model for a wider truce, but warned that Russian attacks in the Black Sea risked further escalation. “Russia is precipitating a global food crisis, to the detriment of the poorest nations and countries in the world,” he said.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine wanted a halt to attacks on energy infrastructure, safe passage for grain shipments through the Black Sea and further prisoner exchanges.

The Ukrainian president said a ceasefire alone would not secure a lasting peace. Ukraine would need security guarantees backed by Europe and the US. He insisted Europe must be involved in the negotiations.

“There cannot be a sustainable peace if Europe is not at the negotiating table,” Zelenskyy said.

He said Ukraine would join the US, European partners and NATO for talks on security guarantees and reconstruction in Brussels on Wednesday.

Russia increases attacks on Ukrainian civilians

The talks in Berlin come as Russia continues to increase airstrikes on Ukrainian civilians.

Zelenskyy said at least 33 people were killed, and more than 50 could be trapped in rubble, after multiple Russian strikes on a school building used as an aid distribution center in the frontline southeastern village of on Monday.

Ukrainian officials said Russian forces launched an initial strike on residents waiting to receive aid, and then hit the same location again after waiting for rescue personnel to arrive on the scene, killing several of them and destroying emergency vehicles.

Speaking in Berlin, Zelenskyy described the strike as “one of the largest Russian killings of this war.”

On Tuesday, at least 73 people were injured in a strike on a hospital in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, and 226 patients had to be transferred to other hospitals, regional prosecutors said.

Germany pledges aid ahead of winter

“Ahead of the next winter, air defense and the energy sector are our priorities,” Merz said. He said Germany would soon deliver new aid in both areas and provide further winter assistance this year.

Zelenskyy thanked Germany for helping protect Ukraine’s skies and supporting its energy infrastructure.

“Without Germany, we would not be as strong as we are,” he said.

He said Ukraine urgently needed more air defense equipment, including Patriot interceptors.

Zelenskyy told EU leaders in October that Ukraine would need an additional €70 billion ($78 billion) from European governments next year. Germany plans to host a summit of countries backing Ukraine in mid-November to discuss further support ahead of winter.

How has Berlin stepped up security?

The visit coincides with the opening of the two-day Berlin Security Conference, which brings together European officials and defense experts. Russia’s war in Ukraine is high on the agenda.

Police said about 3,400 additional officers were deployed for the visit and the conference, with reinforcements from across Germany.

Armed officers guarded barriers around parts of the government district, and special police units deployed snipers. Roads were also closed in western Berlin, including near the Kurfürstendamm shopping avenue.