Further diplomacy with Russia is pointless, as it has so far been met with new Russian attacks on children's hospitals, nursing homes and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said, quoted by DPA and BTA.
Russia's war is not only aimed at the territorial integrity of Ukraine, “it is a war against the entire political order of Europe“, Merz added.
“What (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is trying to do is not just expand Russia to the west, but an attempt to destroy what can be established as democracy and the rule of law on its border,“ the German chancellor said.
He rejected calls for further diplomacy. "What more can we do in terms of diplomacy than what we have been doing for several months?" Merz asked, noting that Western powers had offered the Russian president "any form of dialogue, including negotiations with the Russian leadership." The German chancellor also said his only condition for talks was a ceasefire. "If we negotiate, at least the guns should be silent," he stressed. Putin's renewed attacks on Ukraine show that diplomacy cannot succeed at the moment. "We must defend ourselves and we must protect Ukraine against this aggression," Merz said.