German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday welcomed "positive signals" from Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi and said they suggest a chance to build a genuine peace order in Europe.
"I am hearing some positive signals from the discussions held in Abu Dhabi over the past two days, which suggests we may have a chance, also together with the Americans, to achieve a genuine peace order in Europe," he told reporters in Dublin ahead of a European Political Community summit.
The remarks came as US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow after the Abu Dhabi talks to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. Merz expressed hope that Moscow would finally accept a broader format.
"First and foremost, I expect the Russian government, the Russian president, to finally agree to joint discussions. Ukraine must be at the table, the Europeans must be at the table, the Americans must be there," Merz said.
"And then there will be an opportunity for talks. We have established formats within the European Union, and we will discuss who might represent the EU, but that is a matter to be addressed behind closed doors, not in a public debate," he added.
