German Chancellor Friedrich Merz delivered a blunt assessment this week: Vladimir Putin sees no benefit in ending his war against Ukraine.

Speaking during :newstime interview, Merz argued the Russian president will only negotiate when it serves his personal agenda.

“He will only be ready for negotiations when it benefits him personally,” Merz explained. Putin continues the war because “he is conquering territories” and closely watches how world leaders respond to his actions, including discussions in Europe and America.

To change Russia’s position, Merz proposed creating conditions that would compel Moscow to seek an exit from the war through economic pressure rather than military means.

“We must create the grounds for this,” he said, proposing tariffs against countries that continue trading actively with Russia. The goal: make it impossible for Moscow to sustain its military production.

Merz also emphasized that Germany has no plans to deploy soldiers to Ukraine, expressing serious doubts about Bundeswehr participation even after a possible ceasefire.

“Until a ceasefire, sending troops to Ukraine definitely won’t happen. And even after that, I have significant doubts about Germany’s participation.”

Meanwhile, Britain and France lead the “Coalition of the Willing” initiative, which plans peacekeeping forces for post-conflict Ukraine with operational headquarters in Paris and coordination centers in Kyiv.

Merz outlined Germany’s constraints clearly. Any troop deployment would need Bundestag approval and Russian agreement.

“This cannot be done against Russia, only together with it,” he told Sat.1.

Russian demands for ending the war in Ukraine include:

• Ukrainian military withdrawal from four occupied regions: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
• written guarantees from Western leaders to halt “NATO’s eastward expansion”, effectively excluding Ukraine, Georgia, and other former Soviet states from membership
• Ukraine adopting a neutral status and limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces
• lifting of Western sanctions
• resolution of frozen Russian assets abroad
• protections for Russian speakers in Ukraine
• holding of Ukrainian elections under terms favorable to Moscow.