'Russia won't win this war': Merz urges start of Ukraine peace talks

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday called for negotiations on an end to the war in Ukraine to begin immediately, saying the time was ripe to "end the killing."

Speaking at a conference focused on Ukrainian reconstruction in the Polish city of Gdańsk, Merz said Europe and the trans-Atlantic alliance were ready to further increase pressure on the ailing Russian economy.

"Russia won't win this war," he said.

"The time has come to start negotiations, freeze the front line and put an end to the killing," Merz said.

Merz said that supporting Ukraine, which has been fending off a full-scale Russian invasion for more than four years, continues to be an "unwavering commitment" for Germany.

Previous negotiations to end the conflict led by the US failed to produce a result.

Leading European states are now looking for a way to restart talks without being sidelined again.

However, Moscow has repeatedly said it does not wish to negotiate with the Europeans and continues to insist on its maximum demands, including major territorial concessions that Ukraine has consistently rejected.

The Ukraine Recovery Conference is being hosted by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his Ukrainian counterpart Yulia Svyrydenko.

The EU, the Group of Seven (G7) major industrialized democracies and other institutions such as the World Bank, as well as numerous company representatives, are also taking part in the meeting.