Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on August 18, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
German FM Johann Wadephul calls for increased pressure on Russia and more aid for Ukraine ahead of a key meeting with Trump and Zelenskiy.
TOKYO (Reuters) -German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Monday called for stepped-up pressure on Russia, including more aid for Ukraine, to push Moscow into concessions toward a "just and lasting peace."
Wadephul spoke in Tokyo as U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and European leaders including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The gathering follows Trump's talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
"It is probably not an exaggeration to say the whole world is looking to Washington," he said at a press briefing alongside Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya.
"Firm security guarantees are central" because "Ukraine must be able to defend itself effectively even after a ceasefire and peace agreement," he added.
Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other European leaders met Sunday to bolster Zelenskiy's hand ahead of the White House meeting.
They welcomed U.S. talk of a security guarantee for Ukraine but said Kyiv must be included in any territorial talks and its remaining land protected.
(Reporting by Tim Kelly and Fabian Hamacher; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
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