German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Monday urged the international community to step up pressure on Russia and increase military and financial assistance to Ukraine, describing such support as key to securing a “just and lasting peace.”
Speaking in Tokyo after talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, Wadephul said global attention was now on Washington, where US President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The summit comes shortly after Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
“It is probably not an exaggeration to say the whole world is looking to Washington,” Wadephul told reporters. He stressed that firm security guarantees must form the basis of any peace framework, insisting Ukraine must be able to defend itself even after a ceasefire.
Ahead of the White House talks, Merz joined French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and other European leaders in reaffirming support for Kyiv. The leaders signaled cautious optimism that the US would back long-term security commitments but maintained that Ukraine must be central to any territorial negotiations and that its sovereignty must be preserved.
The Washington meeting is expected to focus on security guarantees for Ukraine and the conditions for a potential settlement with Russia, as Western allies seek to combine sustained pressure on Moscow with efforts to end the war.
