Merz tells Trump that Ukraine has to preserve its territory

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, during his visit to the White House, told US President Donald Trump that Ukraine has to preserve its territory once the war ends.

Merz, who was in Washington for talks with Trump, stressed that Ukraine should not agree to further territorial concessions.

"We all want to see this war coming to an end as soon as possible. But Ukraine has to preserve its territory and their security interests, and we will talk about that," the chancellor told the US leader at the beginning of his meeting with Trump.

Journalists asked Trump where ending the war in Ukraine currently stands on his list of priorities, given the US operation against Iran.

Trump assured them that the issue remains among his highest priorities.

"As far as Russia, Ukraine, where is that on my priority list? Very high. I thought it was going to be one of the easier ones. I have settled eight wars, and actually maybe one more than that," Trump said.

He also mentioned the tremendous level of hatred between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian ruler Vladimir Putin.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier that there is currently no clarity regarding the timing and venue of the next round of peace talks between Russia, the US and Ukraine, as holding the negotiations in Abu Dhabi, as previously planned, does not appear possible.

The European Commission described Moscow's position as an excuse and an attempt to delay the negotiation process.

Zelenskyy said earlier that he sees a chance to achieve peace in the Russo-Ukrainian war before the US midterm elections.