German Chancellor Friedrich Merz held a press conference alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin and addressed the upcoming meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. According to him, "Europe's and Ukraine's security interests need to be raised in the conversation, we made that clear to Trump. A ceasefire should be the top priority in any agreement." Regarding the territorial issue, he said "There is no question of legal recognition of Russian control over territories. Trump shares most of this view with us." He added that "There is hope for peace in Ukraine."