"We will not give up" - Merz to Putin

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz addressed Russian and US Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump at a conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine in Rome. At the end of his speech, Merz thanked the allies for their assistance to Kiev and clarified that Berlin would continue to support the stabilization and reconstruction of Ukraine's energy system.

He also noted that he had two messages.

"I have two messages. One is addressed to Moscow and Putin. The message is quite clear: we will not give up," he said.

Then Merz addressed Washington and the US president, calling on them to remain in the alliance with Europe. "Stay with us," Merz said.

According to him, Europeans and Americans are on the same wave, have the same interests.

"We are striving for a stable political order in the world. We, Americans and Europeans, are together. Stay with us on this side and on this page of our common history," the German Chancellor emphasized.