Russia ‘not interested’ in serious talks to end its war in Ukraine, says Germany’s Merz

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (right) taking part in a press briefing with visiting Kazakhstan President, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, in Berlin, on Sept 29.

BERLIN - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Sept 29 that Russia’s reaction to the recent meeting of the two countries’ foreign ministers showed Moscow was not ready for meaningful negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

“Russia’s subsequent assessment of this conversation has shown that Russia is obviously not interested in serious talks at all at this point in time,” Merz told a Berlin press conference.

On Sept 26, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke to his German counterpart Johann Wadephul at the United Nations in New York, the first such meeting since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.

German diplomats said that Wadephul used the conversation to call on Russia to “abandon its dangerous path of escalation vis-a-vis Germany, Europe and NATO” and made clear “Germany’s resolve to support Ukraine”.

Lavrov later used a speech to the UN General Assembly to accuse Europe of blocking efforts to resolve the conflict and insisted the “aims of the special military operation will be achieved”, using Moscow’s terminology for the conflict.

Earlier on Sept 29, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said Lavrov had “mocked and discredited” efforts at the negotiation and that Russia had showed “no movement, only ridicule”.

Merz called “once again on the Russian government to come to the negotiating table”.

“But if Russia is not prepared to do so, then we are... ready to support Ukraine over a long period of time,” he added.

Merz said that “Russia will not win this war” and would “suffer massive damage” the longer the conflict continues, adding: “We see already what a precarious situation the Russian economy is in.”

Merz made the comments alongside visiting Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who is an ally of Moscow’s but has never condoned Russia’s offensive.

In July, Tokayev made the rare move of publicly telling Russian President Vladimir Putin that the fighting should stop.

On Sept 29, Tokayev said he maintained “excellent relations” with Putin, but also that Kazakhstan had been “concerned about the situation in Ukraine from the very beginning” and that his government “insists on respect for... the territorial integrity of all states”.

“Whatever happens in Ukraine, we will never forget that Russia and Ukraine are our friends,” he said. AFP