Germany has chosen a country for negotiations between Ukraine and the Russian Federation: what Merz proposes

The city of Geneva may be the venue for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia on a ceasefire. This was stated by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at a press conference with Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter, as reported by Reuters.

"Geneva would be a suitable place for a ceasefire agreement", said the chancellor.

According to him, he plans to present his proposal on September 4 at a meeting of about 30 countries, where post-war guarantees for Ukraine will be discussed.

"I will once again propose to the so-called "coalition of willing" to send invitations", noted Friedrich Merz.

Earlier, Friedrich Merz stated that Germany will increase its defense spending, but will not necessarily reach the target spending limit set by U.S. President Donald Trump.

In particular, in response to Donald Trump's call for NATO member countries to allocate 5% of their GDP for defense, Merz stated:

"First, in Germany, we need to reach a minimum of 2%. We have not yet reached this threshold. Whether it's 2%, 3%, or even 5% doesn't matter much. The main thing is that we are doing everything necessary for our security".

Merz also stated that Germany could cover future increased defense spending without a special fund. At the same time, the candidate for chancellor from the "Green Party", German Minister of Economy Robert Habeck, asserted that Germany should aim to achieve a target of 3.5%, but this is only possible through loans.

It is worth noting that Donald Trump specifically criticized the fact that many NATO member countries do not pay their share of expenses and demanded an increase in defense contributions.

The agency notes that Germany will be able to achieve NATO's target of 2% through a special fund, but after reaching this level of spending, there remains uncertainty about their further financing after the fund is depleted in 2028.