German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told reporters in Washington that a peace agreement in Ukraine has to include Europe, while voicing concern over the lack of a day-after policy in the Iran conflict.
“We want to reach a resolution but one that involves the Europeans. We are not prepared to accept an agreement that is concluded behind our backs,” TASS, on March 4, quoted Merz as asserting. He said that he had made this clear to U.S. President Donald Trump. “I also said that there will be no agreement without the participation of the Europeans,” the Chancellor said. “I got the impression that the U.S. President now has a better understanding of what is at stake and what the Europeans think about it,” Merz added.
Apparently expressing doubt that the U.S. attacks on Iran would succeed in bringing about regime change, he said,"We don’t yet know whether the [U.S.] plan will succeed, whether military strikes from outside will lead to political change inside,” he told reporters. “This plan carries risks, and we will also have to deal with its consequences. That is why, during my conversation with Donald Trump, I said that a number of questions remain.”
“We should also think about the day that will come after that,” the Chancellor said, calling for the development of a strategy for the future of Iran and the region, one in which “all neighbors, without exception, recognize Israel’s right to exist and live safely.”
