BERLIN 

Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed the meeting between Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul on Friday as a ‘positive signal’ and called for more diplomatic efforts to end the war.

Speaking at the European Political Community summit in Albania, Merz said European allies will continue providing strong support to Ukraine while pursuing diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire.

“The fact that they are meeting today, the first time in three and a half years, is a very small but first positive signal. We have to do more on that, on diplomatic efforts,” Merz said, referring to the Istanbul meeting between Ukrainian and Russian delegations.

He also underlined that Ukraine needs to maintain a strong military position to succeed at the negotiating table. “We have to be very clear on our military support for this country as well. There should be no doubt that we are willing to continue to give our support,” he stressed.

The European Political Community summit brought together leaders from more than 40 European countries and EU institutions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan were among the leaders who attended the summit in Tirana, hosted by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.

Phone call with Trump

At a press conference after the summit, Merz told reporters that a group of European leaders, along with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, held a phone call with US President Donald Trump to discuss the latest developments in Ukraine.

“The Russian side would have had a good opportunity to hold initial talks this week on a peace preceded by a ceasefire agreement. We are very disappointed that this did not take place,” Merz told reporters, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin's absence from the Istanbul negotiations.

He underlined that European leaders are in agreement with Zelenskyy to continue making offers for talks in the coming days and weeks.

“The diplomatic efforts we have made so far have unfortunately failed due to Russia's unwillingness to take the first steps in the right direction. However, we will not give up. We will continue our efforts, and we will coordinate and maintain strong coordination between Europe and the Americans,” he said.