Friedrich Merz says that Russia is not ready for serious negotiations with Ukraine, ahead of the meeting in Abu Dhabi

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in Berlin on Tuesday that Russia does not appear willing to begin serious negotiations on a ceasefire and peace agreement with Ukraine. He made the statement ahead of a new round of talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States, scheduled for November 10 and 11 in Abu Dhabi.

Merz welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and said that resuming trilateral negotiations was “the right step” toward ending the fighting. The German chancellor insisted, however, that any lasting agreement must also involve European countries, which have been largely excluded from the diplomatic efforts led by envoys of US President Donald Trump.

Zelensky said the meeting’s agenda would include security guarantees, a possible energy ceasefire and a ceasefire in the Black Sea to resume grain exports. The Ukrainian president hopes that talks at the team level will pave the way for a direct meeting with Vladimir Putin and announced that Ukraine is also seeking to intensify prisoner exchanges.

Merz warned that Ukraine’s future cannot be decided without Kyiv’s participation and confirmed that Germany would continue its military support for Ukraine.