"Merz wants to send you to Ukraine? We don't!" declared a message posted Tuesday, August 19, by the far-right German party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) on X. The post was accompanied by a photo montage of Chancellor Friedrich Merz rubbing his hands in front of five young Germans with somber expressions. "Merz does not want to rule out sending German soldiers to Ukraine. That would not be peacekeeping, but a permanent escalation with Russia. We say it clearly: we will not send you to Ukraine!" the AfD continued.

As the question of security guarantees provided by Ukraine's allies in the event of a peace agreement with Moscow was discussed on Wednesday by the chiefs of staff of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) armies, even the theoretical possibility of sending German troops to Ukraine sparked heated controversy in Berlin, despite the summer lull.

Asked about Germany's contribution after the Washington summit on Monday, Merz implicitly raised the possibility of German military participation in Ukraine's security if a peace agreement were reached, saying he was ready to "discuss it in Berlin with the coalition partners, including discussions about whether we may have to make decisions that require a mandate from the German parliament. But it is too early today to give a definitive answer to this."

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