Berlin, Germany – A recent opinion poll revealed that 58% of Germans support direct talks between Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Russian President Vladimir Putin in an effort to end the war in Ukraine, while 26% oppose them. The poll, conducted by the YouGov polling institute, showed that support was highest among voters of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU)/Christian Social Union (CSU) alliance, at 64%. Supporters of the Left Party (Left Party) registered the lowest level of support at 47%.
This trend comes as French President Emmanuel Macron pushes for direct European talks with Putin, following the failure of US mediation efforts thus far. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has affirmed that Ukraine will not hold elections until it receives security guarantees and a ceasefire. On the other hand, Mertz stressed the necessity of coordinating any European talks with both Ukraine and the United States, warning against unilateral actions that could prove counterproductive.
