German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he hopes for a quick end to the Ukraine war but is preparing himself for a prolonged conflict. The war in Ukraine has raged for three and a half years, claiming hundreds of thousands of lives. 

When asked if he believes that a ceasefire could be established within the next year, Merz replied, “I’m mentally preparing myself for the fact that this war could drag on for a long time. We’re trying to end it as quickly as possible, but certainly not at the price of Ukraine’s capitulation.”

President Donald Trump is attempting to fulfill a campaign promise to end the war in Ukraine. While he has spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Zelensky several times, Trump has been unable to break the deadlock. 

Putin is demanding territorial concessions, Ukrainian neutrality, and denazification. Zelensky is refusing to cede any territory to Russia. Most European nations are undermining Trump’s position by backing Zelensky’s hardline position. 

Top Trump administration officials have discussed placing economic penalties on Russia and its trading partners in an effort to get Putin to budge off his hardline position. However, President Joe Biden attempted the same strategy and was unable to pressure Moscow to end the war. 

Trump has significant leverage over Zelensky as Washington provides crucial military support to Kiev that keeps the Ukrainian military fighting. But rather than forcing Zelensky to soften his position to find an end to the conflict, Trump continues to send weapons to Ukraine. 

Merz stressed that the top priority is to keep the Ukrainians fighting. “The number one priority is supporting the Ukrainian army so that they can defend this country in the long term. That is the absolute priority, and we will begin doing that now,” he added. 

Washington recently approved sending thousands of long-range, air-launched cruise missiles to Ukraine. Europe will pay for the munitions.