Ukraine’s strongest ally poised to abandon Zelensky against Russia as far-right, Germans slam Merz

Europe is pushing for security guarantees for Ukraine if a peace deal is reached with Russia. Amid this, Merz raised the possibility of the German military's participation in Ukraine's security. The German chancellor said he was ready to “discuss the plan with the coalition partners” but his consideration of sending troops to Ukraine has sparked a debate within his government. The Social Democratic Party, part of Merz’s ruling coalition, has said it will only support the plan if the U.S. sends its own troops to Ukraine. Meanwhile, the far-right opposition party AFD posted on X "Merz wants to send you to Ukraine? We don't!" and that the move "would not be peacekeeping, but a permanent escalation against Russia."