Merz Sees War in Ukraine Dragging On With No Clear End in Sight

Firefighters work at the site of a Russian attack in Kyiv, on Aug. 28.Photographer: Efrem Lukatsky/AP Photo

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August 31, 2025 at 4:06 PM UTC

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he hasn’t given up hope that a ceasefire can be secured in Ukraine, but he’s “not under any illusions either.”

“I am preparing myself inwardly for the possibility that this war could go on for a long time,” Merz said in an interview on Sunday with public broadcaster ZDF in which he also rejected a proposal by his coalition partner, the Social Democrats, to increase taxes in Germany.