German Chancellor Friedrich Merz sees little prospect of a swift negotiated end to the war in Ukraine, arguing the conflict will only conclude once one side is militarily or economically exhausted, reported dpa.
"In my assessment, this war will only end when one of the two sides is exhausted, either militarily or economically," Merz told the Rheinpfalz newspaper in remarks published on Thursday.
Referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Merz added: "Reason and humanitarian arguments will not convince Putin. That is the bitter truth." He stated that the goal of European efforts must therefore be to ensure "that the Russian state can no longer continue the war militarily and can no longer finance it economically."
According to Merz's assessment, the "Russian power clique" cannot survive without war for the foreseeable future. "It must keep the war machine running because it has no plan for what else to do with the hundreds of thousands of sometimes severely traumatized soldiers returning from the front," the chancellor said.
Merz described Russia's current state in grim terms: "At the moment, we are witnessing this country in a state of profound barbarism. That will not change in the foreseeable future and it is something we must come to terms with."
Ukraine has been defending itself against Russian attacks for nearly four years. In recent days, both sides held negotiations in Geneva aimed at ending the war. No details were disclosed.
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- Merz
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
