Merz's Peace Initiatives for Ukraine Have Reached an Impasse

DW explains why.

The Gaze reports on it according to Glavcom.

Merz was called a new key figure in European policy towards Ukraine, but these assessments proved premature

Last week, diplomatic efforts surrounding the war in Ukraine began with optimism but ended in disappointment. A series of initiatives by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz faced political and legal obstacles. This is according to a column by Deutsche Welle commentator Dirk Emmerich.

Although the participants described the negotiations that took place in Miami over the weekend as ‘constructive,’ no concrete results were achieved. In diplomatic circles, such a formula often means a lack of real progress. There is even talk of a possible meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, but no practical progress has been made so far.

The observer notes that initial assessments, particularly in The New York Times, which called Merz a new key figure in European policy on Ukraine, proved premature. Although the positions of Europe, the US and Ukraine were coordinated, this happened without the involvement of Russia, without which a peaceful settlement is impossible.

The column highlights three problematic issues:

First, the security guarantees for Ukraine proposed by Merz, modelled on Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, lost support within a few days. According to the author, the US viewed them primarily as a tool to pressure Kyiv into making territorial concessions, while Berlin hoped to use them to influence Moscow.

Second, the idea of creating a European multinational peacekeeping force currently has no clear prospects. Russia called such a mission a ‘red line,’ and Merz himself later stated that the Bundeswehr's participation had not yet been determined. The US did not support this initiative from the outset.

Thirdly, the attempt to use Russian assets frozen in Europe to help Ukraine did not receive support at the EU summit. Belgium, Italy and France opposed it due to serious legal risks and possible consequences for financial markets.

As a result, Ukraine will receive approximately €90 billion in aid from European Union funds, rather than from Russian assets. As the author of the column notes, this decision could have been more effective if it had been agreed upon in advance, rather than after an attempt to act without an alternative plan.

France and Germany disagreed on whether frozen Russian assets should be used to finance Ukraine's needs. This situation, already dubbed a ‘betrayal’ by Macron, signals the further decline of the once-strong Franco-German tandem in the European Union.

As the Gaze reported earlier NATO to Open Second Logistics Hub in Romania to Bolster Military Aid to Ukraine.