德国总理弗里德里希·梅尔茨表示，在与俄罗斯达成可能的和平协议后，德国部队可能参与一个联盟，以在乌克兰确保一个非军事区。他说，德军将被授权对相应的俄方越境与攻击进行反击，但也强调「我们还没到那一步」。由于二战期间纳粹在该地区的暴行，德军出现在前苏联领土上极具敏感性，但此番表态被视为迄今最明确的信号，显示德国军方准备在安全保证中扮演核心角色。

梅尔茨警告不要重蹈2014年《明斯克协议》的「错误」：西方曾接受普京在吞并克里米亚后不再攻击乌克兰的承诺。他主张这次所谓「志愿联盟」必须以武力确保乌克兰领土，例如保障空域安全。在此背景下，他指出，本周在柏林举行的为期两天的乌克兰与美国特使会谈的一项主要成果是，特朗普政府首次以书面承诺向乌克兰提供安全保证，且「可比北约条约第5条」。

梅尔茨在前往布鲁塞尔参加欧盟峰会前于议会表示，德国「不是大国的棋子」，必须以决心与强势捍卫自身利益与价值；他重申德国将在和平后的安全保证中出力，但未透露准备部署的部队数量。他说，以冻结的俄罗斯资产作为向乌克兰贷款抵押的方案仍在拉锯，意大利总理梅洛尼表示怀疑，且多数资产位于比利时而引发顾虑。梅尔茨称该贷款对乌克兰与欧洲未来至关重要，但达成协议的机率只有「50/50」，并称这关乎欧洲的主权与安全。

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said German troops could join a coalition to secure a demilitarized zone in Ukraine after a possible peace deal with Russia. He said German soldiers would be authorized to retaliate against corresponding Russian incursions and attacks, while cautioning “we are not there yet.” Because of Nazi atrocities in the region during World War II, German troops on former Soviet territory are highly sensitive, but the remarks were portrayed as the clearest signal so far that Germany is ready for a central role in post-deal security guarantees.

Merz warned against repeating the “mistakes of the 2014 Minsk agreement,” when the West accepted Putin’s commitments that he would not attack Ukraine again after the annexation of Crimea. He argued that a “coalition of the willing” would have to secure Ukrainian territory with arms, such as protecting the airspace. In that context, he said a main outcome of two-day talks in Berlin between Ukraine and US envoys was a first written Trump administration commitment to security guarantees for Ukraine comparable to NATO’s Article 5.

Speaking in parliament before traveling to Brussels for an EU summit, Merz said Germany is “not a pawn of major powers” and must defend its interests and values with determination; he reiterated Germany will contribute to security guarantees but gave no troop numbers. He said a plan to use frozen Russian assets as collateral for a loan to Ukraine is still in doubt, with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressing skepticism and concerns tied to Belgium holding most of the assets. Merz called the loan critical but put the odds of a deal at “50/50,” framing it as a test of Europe’s sovereignty and security.