German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has urged the United States to make a lasting commitment to resolving the war in Ukraine, expressing hope that President Donald Trump will exert the same influence as he has in the Middle East, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
Speaking in Sharm el-Sheikh ahead of a summit with Trump and other world leaders to strengthen the Gaza truce, Merz said the Egypt summit showed that an end to the war was possible if the international community united.
The German chancellor also said the release of Israeli hostages held by "Hamas" marked the beginning of a "healing process and was a step towards peace in the Middle East," reported France Presse.
"Two years of fear, pain and hope are behind them. Today, families can finally be reunited with their loved ones," Merz wrote on the social network "Ex".
"The murdered hostages must also be returned home so that their families can say goodbye to them with dignity," the German leader added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the ceasefire in Gaza brokered by Donald Trump "increases hopes for peace" in Ukraine, where the US president wants to play the role of mediator in negotiations with Moscow, reported Agence France-Presse.
"When peace is established in one part of the world, it strengthens hopes that peace will also come to other regions", Zelensky wrote on "Facebook".
"The leadership and determination of world players could certainly be in our favor, in Ukraine," he added, welcoming the presence of these same qualities in the personality of US President Donald Trump.