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Merz Says He Urged Trump to Increase Pressure on Putin
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 3, 2026
1 min readLast updated: April 2, 2026
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Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 3, 2026
1 min readLast updated: April 2, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleGerman Chancellor Friedrich Merz said after meeting U.S. President Donald Trump on March 3 that he urged Trump to increase pressure on Vladimir Putin amid ongoing trilateral U.S.–Russia–Ukraine peace talks. Merz emphasized that any lasting agreement must also be backed by Europe.
WASHINGTON, March 3 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, speaking after a meeting with Donald Trump on Tuesday, said he had urged the president to put pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine.
"Russia is playing for time here, and in doing so is also acting against the will of the American president. In today's talks, I called for increasing the pressure on Moscow," he told reporters.
The United States, Russia and Ukraine are taking part in trilateral talks aimed at securing a peace deal. Merz though said only a pact supported by Europe could be lasting.
"We are not prepared to accept an agreement that is negotiated over our heads," he said.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Andreas Rinke, writing by David Ljunggren; Editing by Daphne Psaledakis)
Merz urged Trump to increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine.
Merz stated that only a pact supported by Europe could be lasting and rejected any agreement made without Europe's involvement.
The United States, Russia, and Ukraine are taking part in the trilateral talks aimed at securing a peace deal.
Merz believes Russia is delaying to act against the will of the American president and potentially prolong the conflict.
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