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West, Ukraine exhaust diplomatic options in resolving conflict — Merz

The first round of negotiations between the US and Ukrainian delegations took place in Berlin on December 14

BERLIN, December 17. /TASS/. Berlin negotiations on Ukraine tapped the diplomatic well, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said.

"In recent days, there has been significant movement in the peace process (in Ukraine - TASS). We often hear from this podium that more diplomatic efforts are needed instead of arms supplies to Ukraine. Well, ladies and gentlemen, I can tell you that there can be more diplomacy from here, from Berlin, than in recent days and hours," he told the Bundestag.

Negotiations in Berlin

The first round of negotiations between the US and Ukrainian delegations took place in Berlin on December 14 and lasted about five hours. The parties continued negotiations on Monday morning, the meeting lasted about two hours. The US delegation included US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and the American leader's son-in-law, entrepreneur Jared Kushner. Ukraine was represented by Vladimir Zelensky, Secretary of the Security Council Rustem Umerov and Chief of the General Staff Andrey Gnatov.

The leaders of the European Union countries issued a joint statement on Monday following the talks in Berlin. They believe that guarantees to Kiev should include the creation of a multinational force for Ukraine led by Europe and consisting of interested countries, which should be formed within the framework of the coalition of the willing and with the support of the United States. The statement says that these forces will assist in the restoration of Ukraine’s army, ensuring control over Ukraine's airspace and maritime security, as well as through operations inside Ukraine.

The leaders of the factions of the ruling CDU/CSU and SPD parties in the Bundestag left open the possibility of German participation. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius expressed doubts about this.

Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Kremlin expects information from the US as soon as it is ready on the results of work with the Europeans and Ukrainians to resolve the conflict. Moscow's position against the deployment of Western contingents in Ukraine is consistent and well-known, he said.

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