Friedrich Merz: Ukraine peacekeeping force only with a perfect mandate

Union Chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz is demanding a mandate under international law for German participation in a Ukraine peacekeeping force – if possible in consensus with Moscow. “If there is a peace agreement and if Ukraine needs guarantees for security, then we can only discuss it if there is a perfect mandate under international law. I don’t see that at the moment,” the CDU leader told the German press agency in Berlin.

When asked what security guarantees he could imagine for Ukraine beyond NATO membership in order to secure a possible ceasefire with Russia, the Union parliamentary group leader replied: “I can’t imagine anything that goes in that direction at the moment, because “We are a long way from such a ceasefire. This is all a question that needs to be clarified in the next few weeks, perhaps months.”

There is a common desire to restore peace in Ukraine as quickly as possible, said Merz. “However, this must not be a dictated peace. It must be a peace with Ukraine and not against Ukraine.” He added: “And above all, that must be a peace that also affects us.” The massive attacks on the German data infrastructure, “our freedom of expression, on social media: that too is part of this hybrid warfare that we see from Russia. That too must stop.”

Merz said he wanted to “make it clear that there are no ifs and buts about Germany not becoming a war party in Ukraine.” With regard to the Ukrainian demand, supported by the Union, for a delivery of German Taurus cruise missiles, he said that there are at least three countries that have already delivered comparable weapon systems to Ukraine. The USA, France and Great Britain. “All three of you did not become a warring party as a result of the delivery.” Taurus is a “building block to restore peace in Ukraine.”

Given Donald Trump’s inauguration as US President on January 20, Merz said that one must expect that he would abruptly change the US government’s Ukraine policy. “It could be that he says: I’m not doing anything anymore. You take care of it. It could also be that he says, I’m now arming Ukraine so much that the Russians give up the war.”

Germany, together with Great Britain as an important NATO partner, must “develop a strategy in the EU on how we deal with possible scenarios from America after January 20th.” After Brexit, Great Britain is no longer a member of the EU, but along with France, it is one of two nuclear powers in Europe.

When asked whether he would support a new special fund in the budget after winning the election as chancellor to finance aid to Ukraine and improve defense capabilities, Merz said: “In my opinion not.” The costs must be “financed from the current budget. This cannot be done with additional debt.” Here he agrees with Scholz.

Merz added that Germany has committed to increasing the defense budget to at least two percent of gross domestic product. “We want to be able to defend ourselves so that we don’t have to defend ourselves. That presupposes that we have an efficient Bundeswehr, regardless of what the current threat situation actually looks like,” he said.