German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron have both cast doubt on Moscow’s sincerity in peace talks in their respective comments on Monday.
The remarks came after Moscow repeatedly rejected the West’s call for a ceasefire and conducted large-scale aerial strikes across Ukraine over the weekend that prompted US President Donald Trump to say that his Russian counterpart “has gone absolutely CRAZY.”
Merz, speaking at Monday’s WDR Europaforum hosted by Germany’s WDR outlet, said Russian leader Vladimir Putin has responded to the West’s call for peace by raising the war efforts “harder than before.”
“Putin obviously sees offers of talks as a sign of weakness,” Merz said, adding that there are no more restrictions on Kyiv using Western long-range weaponry against targets inside Russia.
It is unclear when the decision was made.
French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking to reporters in Hanoi at the start of his Southeast Asian tour on Monday, commented on Trump’s reaction and said he wishes the anger “translates into action.”
“President Trump realizes that when President Putin said on the phone he was ready for peace, or told his envoys he was ready for peace, he lied,” Macron said, referring to the Trump-Putin phone call last Monday that resulted in Putin’s pitch for a “memorandum” with Kyiv on a ceasefire – without accepting a ceasefire.
“We have seen once again in recent hours Donald Trump express his anger. A form of impatience. I simply hope now that this translates into action,” Macron added, according to AFP.
Trump previously endorsed the West’s ceasefire ultimatum to Moscow in early May with threats of intensified sanctions. Putin responded by first proposing direct talks with Kyiv in Istanbul, then a memorandum towards a ceasefire during a subsequent phone call with Trump, neither of which resulted in a ceasefire as proposed.
Europe issued additional sanctions and vowed more after Moscow rejected the ceasefire, but Trump declined to impose additional sanctions by saying he will “see how Russia behaves.”
Merz on Monday said Kyiv and its allies have exhausted “all diplomatic means” and should anticipate a protracted war with Moscow.
“After the last three weeks, no one can seriously accuse us of not having exhausted all available diplomatic means,” Merz said.
“If even an offer to meet at the Vatican does not get (Putin’s) approval, then we must be prepared for this war to last longer than we all wish or can imagine,” he added, referring to the Kremlin’s hesitation about the proposed peace talks to be hosted by the Vatican.
Meanwhile, Macron said the West should “give President Putin a deadline, so everyone can see that he is lying” when Putin says he wants peace.
“Beyond that deadline there should be massive retaliation, in particular in the form of sanctions,” Macron said.
France and Germany were among the countries that issued the ceasefire ultimatum that compelled Moscow to accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire by May 12, a deadline that has since passed.