BERLIN, August 31. /TASS/. No one in the West is currently discussing the possible deployment of ground troops to Ukraine, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said.

"No one is talking about ground troops in Ukraine at the moment," the chancellor said in an interview with the ZDF TV channel. "I am present at all these negotiations, and I know what we are talking about," he pointed out in response to the host's remark that the UK and French are allegedly discussing this topic. According to him, the main topic of discussion right now is the so-called security guarantees for Kiev "in case of a ceasefire," and they are primarily aimed at supporting the Ukrainian military. "This is an absolute priority," Merz emphasized.

According to him, "many things can only be done once a ceasefire is established." "This requires an agreement with Russia, and this agreement will, of course, contain conditions for both sides. On our part, the condition is that Ukraine must maintain its independence in the long term and have the right to choose its alliances and be free," the German chancellor said. "We are working on this," he said, reiterating that "no one is talking about ground troops in Ukraine at the moment."

Merz clarified that the Bundestag mandate he mentioned when discussing this topic is always required for any Bundeswehr mission abroad. "Even if we decided to defend only the airspace over Ukraine, we would need a Bundestag mandate for that, which is perfectly understandable," Merz said.

When asked if he hoped for a ceasefire next year, the chancellor said: "I have not lost hope that we can achieve it, but I also have no illusions.".