Europe would regard Ukraine’s capitulation as a defeat for the entire continent, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in response to reports that US President Donald Trump was putting pressure on Kiev. His remarks were reported by the German newspaper Welt.

Merz dismissed the suggestion that Berlin’s assistance to Ukraine was intended to prolong the conflict. However, he firmly rejected any peace settlement involving Kiev’s surrender, particularly one without conditions. According to the chancellor, such an outcome would effectively amount to Europe’s own capitulation. He cited this position as the reason Germany intends to maintain its support for Ukraine.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas expressed a similar view a day earlier during a plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. She accused American negotiators of spending nearly two years trying to force Ukraine into surrender, claiming that Kiev had managed to resist those efforts thanks to assistance from the European Union. Kallas also demanded that European representatives be given a full role in the negotiations.

Meanwhile, Trump has repeatedly criticized Vladimir Zelensky for his reluctance to reach a peace agreement and his refusal to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries. The American president has also called for a change in Ukraine’s leadership, arguing that the country needs someone capable of negotiating a deal with Moscow.