<p>German Chancellor Friedrich Merz credited US President Donald Trump with persuading <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/russia">Russia</a>'s President to agree to a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart.</p><p>This meeting, to which Vladimir Putin agreed during a phone call with Trump, would take place at a yet-to-be-determined location, the German chancellor said. "We don't know whether the Russian president will have the courage to attend such a summit. Therefore, persuasion is needed," said Merz, who was part of a delegation of European leaders who travelled to Washington on Monday to lend support to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.</p>.Putin and Trump discussed raising level of representatives at Ukraine talks, Kremlin says.<p>During a break in the meeting, "the American president spoke with the Russian president on the phone and agreed that there would be a meeting between the Russian president and the Ukrainian president within the next two weeks," he told reporters.</p><p>Trump had agreed to extend another invitation to a three-way meeting afterward, so that negotiations could "truly begin", added Merz.</p><p>The German chancellor said Trump was impressed that the Europeans had come with a unified front, and their discussions with the US administration would now turn to details on security guarantees for <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/ukraine">Ukraine</a>.</p><p>"It is absolutely clear that the whole of Europe should participate," said Merz, praising Trump's announcement that the United States is also prepared to provide them. </p>
<p>German Chancellor Friedrich Merz credited US President Donald Trump with persuading <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/russia">Russia</a>'s President to agree to a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart.</p><p>This meeting, to which Vladimir Putin agreed during a phone call with Trump, would take place at a yet-to-be-determined location, the German chancellor said. "We don't know whether the Russian president will have the courage to attend such a summit. Therefore, persuasion is needed," said Merz, who was part of a delegation of European leaders who travelled to Washington on Monday to lend support to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.</p>.Putin and Trump discussed raising level of representatives at Ukraine talks, Kremlin says.<p>During a break in the meeting, "the American president spoke with the Russian president on the phone and agreed that there would be a meeting between the Russian president and the Ukrainian president within the next two weeks," he told reporters.</p><p>Trump had agreed to extend another invitation to a three-way meeting afterward, so that negotiations could "truly begin", added Merz.</p><p>The German chancellor said Trump was impressed that the Europeans had come with a unified front, and their discussions with the US administration would now turn to details on security guarantees for <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/ukraine">Ukraine</a>.</p><p>"It is absolutely clear that the whole of Europe should participate," said Merz, praising Trump's announcement that the United States is also prepared to provide them. </p>