• The Kremlin criticized German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for suggesting security guarantees for Ukraine without Russian participation are possible.
• Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that formulating security guarantees for Ukraine without Russian involvement is impossible, indicating a deadlock in European efforts to regulate the situation.
• Merz's comments came after a meeting of the "Coalition of the Willing" supporting Ukraine, where he emphasized recent Ukrainian military successes and the need for a European-led force to ensure Ukraine's security post-war.

The Kremlin on Tuesday slammed comments by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on security guarantees for Ukraine.

"Formulating security guarantees for Ukraine without Russian participation is impossible," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to Russian news agencies.

Merz's comments showed that Europeans were at a dead end, he said.

If Europeans were truly convinced of this, "then this rules out participation by European countries in the regulation process," Peskov said.

The Kremlin spokesman is thought to have been responding to Merz's comment at a press conference on Monday following a meeting of the "Coalition of the Willing" supporting Ukraine.

The German chancellor highlighted recent Ukrainian military successes and said that they presented an opportunity for peace.

"Ukraine and its partners will decide how we structure the details of our security guarantees, and not Moscow," Merz said.

The coalition is planning a multinational, European-led and US-supported force to help ensure Ukraine's security following the end of the war.

Russia has justified its February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine by its concerns over NATO's eastward expansion, and the Kremlin has categorically rejected the stationing of Western troops in Ukraine.