"Please, no surprises": Merz cautioned Trump ahead of talks with Putin

According to Reuters, Western allies are expecting Washington to take a coordinated stance on ending the war in Ukraine.

The Europeans’ Request

“Some here in Dublin fear that this could turn into a ‘second Anchorage moment,’”
said Merz.

The chancellor recalled the summit between U.S. and Russian leaders in Anchorage, which European leaders viewed as a potentially decisive moment in efforts to end Russia’s military operations against Ukraine. In his view, any uncoordinated steps could weaken the unity of the partners.

“That is why I want to convey our message to the U.S. very clearly: please, no surprises. Continue to act as part of ‘Team Europe’ and ‘Team Ukraine,’
– Merz emphasized.

Europe’s Participation in Peace Talks

Following meetings between representatives of the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi, substantive peace talks are expected to begin in the coming weeks. For the first time, Europe will officially join this negotiation process.

At the same time, the German chancellor rejected Russia’s calls to make the European security architecture the focus of future negotiations, stressing that such a structure already exists in the form of NATO.

Upcoming discussions should focus on one central question: within what framework can Ukraine’s security be guaranteed once peace is achieved? However, first we must actually achieve this peace,
Merz explained.

Long-term support in the bloc’s budget

At the same time, the German leader insists on the need to enshrine commitments to assist Kyiv within the framework of discussions on the bloc’s long-term budget.

According to Merz, the proposal to maintain support has already received broad approval, although a final agreement is still a long way off.

EU leaders’ concerns stem from the meeting between the meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, and Xi Jinping scheduled for November 18–19 on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Shenzhen, China.