Merz: Young Ukrainians should serve, not go to Europe

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that young Ukrainians should serve in the army, not go to European countries. He said this after a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris on January 6.

This is reported by Deutsche Welle.

According to Merz, Germany allows its military to participate in a peacekeeping mission, but not on the territory of Ukraine. At the same time, he expects guarantees from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that young Ukrainian men will remain in the country and serve, and not go abroad.

A similar position was voiced the same day by Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder. He emphasized that the involvement of Ukrainian military personnel is a top priority for Ukraine’s security.

“Before young German men have to go to Ukraine, young Ukrainian men should return home from Germany to defend their country,” said Söder.

As previously reported, the Ukrainian and French presidents and the British Prime Minister signed a declaration of intent regarding the future deployment of multinational forces in Ukraine.

As a reminder, officials from some European countries hope to deploy up to 30,000 peacekeepers in Ukraine as part of the deployment of a foreign contingent after the ceasefire.