European Union endorses military exercise assistance for Ukraine – Deutsche Welle – August 29, 2025

Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany and French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking together in southern France, have pledged to increase security support for Ukraine and to further tighten economic sanctions on Russia. This declaration comes amid a surge in Russian airstrikes on Ukraine.

During the Toulon meeting, Merz stated he was not surprised by the Kremlin’s hesitation, calling it a part of the strategy employed by the Russian President. He added that this week it became evident that President Putin has no intention of meeting with President Zelensky, having set “completely intolerable” conditions for such a meeting.

In the joint statement issued after their meeting, Germany and France declared that despite extensive international diplomatic efforts, “Russia shows no intention to end its war of aggression against Ukraine.” They pointed out that in light of the severe Russian airstrikes on Ukraine and their implications for their own security, France and Germany will be providing additional air defense to Ukraine.

Both countries emphasized the necessity of providing Ukraine with reliable security guarantees should the conflict be resolved. However, neither country has committed to deploying troops to Ukraine.

The joint approach also entails considering the effective enforcement and enhancement of sanctions against Russia, to exert maximum pressure for it to cease its invasion and thereby restore peace to Ukraine and Europe.

As part of this strategy, both Berlin and Paris will advocate for the implementation of EU and G7 sanctions targeting businesses in third countries that are supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.