What can Germany offer in Ukraine? This is what Berlin is discussing

The gathering of Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenski is planned. However, there are inactive disputes between the US and the EU. How can Germany get involved?


All participants agreed that the gathering was held in a good atmosphere. U.S. president Donald Trump invited Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenski to Washington and high-ranking EU and NATO representatives. Mission: peace in Ukraine.

The concrete consequence is as follows: Donald Trump seeks to organise a bilateral gathering between the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenski and Russian president Vladimir Putin. A tripartite summit is then scheduled to take place, in which he will besides participate, as Trump wrote on his fact Social online platform.

Chancellor Merz satisfied

Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed his general satisfaction with the summit. “It may have been different, but my expectations not only came true, but they were even exceeded,” said Merz in Washington, D.C. erstwhile the talks were over.

However, the German Chancellor explained that the gathering of Volodymyr Zelenski and Vladimir Putin must be thoroughly prepared. “We do not know if the president of Russia will have the courage to come to specified a summit. Therefore, it is essential to work on convincing him," added Friedrich Merz.

The gathering is scheduled to take place in the next 2 weeks. So far there are no clear signals from Moscow about this issue. The president of Ukraine expressed his willingness to meet Putin without conditions, which is besides without prior ceasefire.

In an interview with DW Rafael Loss, a safety expert with the Think Tank European Council on abroad Relations (ECFR), he besides welcomes the situation. Above all, he praises European unity: "The way in which Europeans spoke with 1 voice must be definitely positive, and they have tried hard to coordinate the points of talks and to present them in a understandable and accessible way to Trump."

A truce or an immediate negotiation?

While Ukraine's summit brought any rapprochement between the US and Europe, it has besides become clear that the United States and Europe have different ideas of the way to peace in Ukraine. president Trump sought a comprehensive peace agreement from the outset. He believes that a ceasefire is not necessary: "However, we can work on an agreement aimed at peace."

Europeans perceive this completely differently. This was peculiarly clearly expressed by Chancellor Friedrich Merz during a public conversation with Donald Trump. He powerfully demanded the ceasefire as the starting point for further negotiations.

– To be honest, we all want a ceasefire," said the head of the German government, adding that he could not imagine another gathering to take place without specified an agreement. The credibility of further negotiations depends on this issue.

In an interview with DW, safety expert Rafael failure explains that the different approaches of America and the EU may stay a point of contention: “There are seemingly very different expectations about how we talk. Donald Trump is much closer to Vladimir Putin in this matter, saying that we must first explain all the crucial issues.”

Security guarantees for Ukraine

Ukraine fears that even after the ceasefire or peace agreement is concluded Russia will proceed its attacks. The president of the United States remained alternatively enigmatic about safety guarantees. He said that Europeans are "on the front line", but he added that Washington will besides contribute.

Ensures for Ukraine are being considered based on Article 5 of the NATO Treaty. Members of the Defence Alliance commit to common support in the event of an attack: "An armed attack on 1 or more associate States in Europe or North America will be considered an attack on all".

This thought was put forward by head of the Italian government Giorgia Meloni, who maintains close relations with US president Donald Trump. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte stressed in Washington that it is not about Ukraine's full membership of the alliance, but assurances akin to those contained in Article 5 are inactive subject to discussions.

W Washington has seemingly not been negotiated for the delicate question of Ukraine's withdrawal of part of the territory to Russia. It was found that this decision could only belong to Ukraine. Russia demands a crucial part of Ukraine as its state territory.

Peacekeepers for Ukraine. German, too?

Security guarantees – this may besides mean that Ukrainian troops will be supported by EU or NATO soldiers or safe a possible peace agreement. It is already debated whether the Bundeswehr could engage in peacekeeping. France and the United Kingdom have been considering taking part in European peacekeeping forces for a long time.

It is not yet known whether the Germans will participate. The Chancellor stressed that "it is besides early to give the final answer". He'll discuss it with the Berlin coalition. It is besides about whether the Bundestag will gotta make "optional decisions requiring a mandate". The Bundeswehr's abroad missions are fundamentally decided by the Bundestag.

Various models of the safety mission were considered in the EU, as explained by safety expert Rafael Loss. The training of military personnel straight in Ukraine and logistical support from the Navy or the Air Force seems realistic.

However, the analyst adds: “Inland forces would be a logical solution, given that Germany is the largest country in Europe. Germany has any work here. I think it is simply a mistake to exclude it in advance."

Reactions of German politicians

Also the abroad policy of the ruling SPD party, Adis Ahmetovic, is open to the option of the Bundeswehr's participation in a later peacekeeping mission in Ukraine.

The AfD chief and opposition politician Alice Weidel put it differently. On platform X she warned that Germany could become the mark of the attacks, while the United States withdraws, and urged: "Germany needs an agreement with Russia alternatively of a constant confrontation".

Party chief Lefty Jan van Aken proposed as a warrant of safety for Ukraine to send UN peacekeeping forces to this country ranging from 30,000 to 40,000 soldiers.

Germany – function in the peace process

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz made it clear at the beginning of his word that abroad and defence policy in the troubled times of the war in Ukraine was a precedence for him. He was the 1 who held the preparatory gathering for the Trump and Putin summits in Alaska last week.

Shortly after his election as Chancellor, he went with another European politicians to Kiev to show his solidarity with Ukraine, which was met with large media interest. Also, the first gathering with the US president in early June was the success of Friedrich Merz, who seemingly managed to make good contact with the American President.

Even in the opposition circles, much praise came to him for Germany's decisive abroad policy, which many lacked during the reign of his predecessor Olaf Scholz.

Security expert Rafael failure assesses Friedrich Merz's political efforts to advance peace in Ukraine as definitely positive: “It surely has peculiar access to Donald Trump, which has been observed in fresh months. However, he sees himself in close coordination with European colleagues, with whom he is jointly formulating a European line of action."

Written by Volker Witting