BERLIN

Germany's new Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday expressed support for US President Donald Trump’s efforts to secure a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.

“Let me be very clear. President Trump has our full support in bringing an end to this war and stopping the killings in Ukraine,” Merz said at a joint news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.

“We will work closely with the US, Ukraine and our European partners for a just, lasting and sustainable peace. As soon as a ceasefire is agreed, we are ready to participate in its monitoring under the leadership and participation of the US,” he added.

Conservative leader Merz, who was sworn in as Germany's tenth chancellor on Tuesday, made his first official visit to France on Wednesday, continuing a longstanding diplomatic tradition that highlights close ties between the EU's two major powers.

Merz told reporters that he plans to visit Kyiv in the coming weeks to reaffirm Germany's continued support for Ukraine. When asked about possible security guarantees sought by Kyiv, the chancellor said he could not provide specifics at the time being due to uncertainties surrounding any potential agreement.

“Until there is a permanent ceasefire and a peace agreement with Russia, we cannot provide any information about the extent of the security guarantees that we can offer to Ukraine, because we simply do not know the conditions,” he told reporters.

“From our point of view, it remains important that the US remains involved in this process and also in a later security guarantee framework for Ukraine. Above all, this war must be ended permanently and not, as is currently being proposed, merely paused for a few days,” he said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin's declared three-day ceasefire from the morning of May 8 until May 11.