U.S. Vice President Vance Meets German Conservative Leader Merz
U.S. VP James Vance. X/ @straits_times
February 14, 2025 Hour: 2:51 pm
Germany’s legislative elections will be held on February 23, and Merz’s right-wing bloc is leading with 30% in voting intentions.
On Friday, U.S. Vice President James Vance met in Munich with Friedrich Merz, the German conservative leader and the frontrunner in the polls for the February 23 elections.
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“In our conversation, I proposed that, as a measure to build confidence before the start of negotiations with Russia, a ceasefire in Ukraine be agreed upon,” Merz said, referring to the meeting that took place on the sidelines of the the 61st Munich Security Conference.
“We agreed that Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine must end quickly. There was also consensus that the path to lasting peace can only be achieved through close cooperation between the United States and Europe,” he added.
The U.S. vice president did not meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, officially due to scheduling issues, as the Social Democratic leader is not set to travel to Munich until Saturday.
However, Vance did meet with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, with whom he had a “productive conversation,” according to a presidential spokesperson, who stated that “the focus was on the situation in Ukraine and the country’s future.”
Germany’s legislative elections will be held on February 23, and Merz’s conservative bloc is leading with 30% in voting intentions, according to polls, followed by the far-right at 20% and the Social Democrats at approximately 15%.
During his visit to Munich on Friday, Vice President Vance also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss next steps on the path to negotiations with Russia to end the war.
Their meeting began late as the United States asked Ukraine for more time to study kyiv’s response to the proposed deal put forward by Washington on Wednesday, under which American companies would benefit from natural resources in exchange for continued White House support for Ukraine.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE