Jan 6, 2026, 8:12 p.mJan 6, 2026, 8:12 p.m
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) has promised Germany’s military participation in securing a possible ceasefire in Ukraine. “This could include, for example, that after a ceasefire we register forces for Ukraine on neighboring NATO territory,” he said after a meeting of Ukraine’s allies in Paris.
Friedrich Merz wants to help secure a ceasefire in Ukraine.Image: keystone
“The federal government and the German Bundestag must and will decide on the type and extent of a German contribution as soon as the conditions mentioned have been clarified,” said the CDU chairman. “I want to say for myself and also for the federal government: We are fundamentally not ruling anything out.” This means that stationing Bundeswehr soldiers in Ukraine itself cannot be ruled out.
France and Great Britain driving forces
For months, the allies have been discussing how a possible ceasefire can be secured and Ukraine protected from new attacks by Russia. France and Great Britain have been the driving forces so far. Germany, on the other hand, has taken the position that the question only arises once the terms of a ceasefire have been clarified.
Now Merz is changing this course. He declares his fundamental willingness for Germany to participate militarily. How many German soldiers would take part and what tasks they would take on remains unclear for the time being.
26 countries declared readiness in September
26 other Western countries had already agreed in September to send troops to secure a ceasefire or peace between Russia and Ukraine. This involves ground troops or forces in the air or at sea. The deployment of troops is intended to prevent any new major aggression and contribute to the long-term security of Ukraine. France had made it clear several times that it was not about an operation at the front, but rather about keeping the peace from further away.
Four NATO states border Ukraine
The NATO states Poland, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia border Ukraine. These countries could therefore be considered as locations.
The Bundeswehr is already deployed on NATO’s eastern flank. German soldiers are stationed in Lithuania, where they make a German contribution to deterring Russia between Belarus and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.
From January to December, men and women from the Bundeswehr were in Poland again with the Patriot air defense system to secure the militarily important hub of Rzeszow, through which military aid to Ukraine is carried out. The airport there is a good 70 kilometers as the crow flies and around 100 kilometers by car from the border with Ukraine.
In December, the Air Force transferred Eurofighter fighter jets to Poland to strengthen the protection of NATO’s eastern flank. They are kept ready for operations at the Polish military air base in Malbork. Eurofighter crews and support forces are also in Romania, close to NATO’s external border with Ukraine. (hkl/sda/dpa)