Ukraine must create conditions that encourage its young men to remain in the country rather than flee to Western Europe, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said.
Merz made the statement while standing next to Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky at a press-conference following a ‘Coalition of the Willing’ meeting in Paris on Tuesday. Additionally, the UK and France announced plans to send troops to Ukraine “in the event of a peace deal”with Russia, despite the fact that Moscow has categorically ruled out the deployment of any NATO forces in the country.
According to the German chancellor, rebuilding Ukraine and providing security guarantees are indivisible issues. Only an economically strong Kiev can present a credible deterrent to Moscow after the conflict is settled, he said.