Will there soon be a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as suggested by US President Donald Trump? And if the two can indeed agree on a way to end Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine, what will Germany's role be?

These questions have triggered much controversy in political circles in Berlin over the past week.

Politicians have been arguing about whether Germany might send soldiers for a possible peacekeeping force — an international force deployed in the country itself to ensure that fighting does not resume.

Many have said Germany could hardly be absent from such a force, especially with Chancellor Friedrich Merz insisting that Germany have a strong voice in international conflicts. But first and foremost, according to Merz, Germany should focus on the key issue of significantly strengthening the Ukrainian military to deter Russia from launching new attacks after a peace agreement has been reached.

This is in line with a statement made by US Vice President JD Vance on Fox News on August 20 that Europe must take the "lion's share" of any conceivable security guarantees.

However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has termed the deployment of European forces in Ukraine as "completely unacceptable."

Little public support for sending German soldiers to Ukraine

Even in Germany, it seems clear that it will not be easy for Merz to obtain approval for such a force.

Merz's junior coalition partner in government, the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), have warned against hasty moves. SPD leader Lars Klingbeiltold Sat.1 television that it would be good if serious talks could occur now.

Of course, Ukraine needs the security of knowing it will not be attacked again, Klingbeil said. "First and foremost, this requires a strong Ukrainian army. Then, we will see what else can be done. But whether or not German soldiers could be involved is not the question at the moment," he said.

German voters, apparently, agree: In a survey conducted by pollster Civey on behalf of German internet portal web.de, 51% of respondents were opposed to a German participation in a peace mission in Ukraine. Only 36% said they thought it would be the right thing to do.

Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, a member of Merz's center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), has also expressed caution. Wadephul told Table Media that a mission in Ukraine would "probably overwhelm" Germany. He said that setting up the Bundeswehr combat brigade in Lithuania is already placing a massive strain on the military.

In an interview with DW, Wadephul expressed skepticism about whether peace talks could even take place. "Everyone is now waiting for Vladimir Putin to be truly serious about holding talks to end this war. Unfortunately, the situation on the battlefield still looks completely different," he said on August 20.

Following the meeting between Trump, Zelenskyy and European leaders in Washington on August 18, Chancellor Merz struck a different tone. Regarding the possible peace process, he said that "we, as the Federal Republic of Germany, have a keen interest and a great responsibility to participate."

But of course, he added, this would then also have to be discussed within his coalition government, "including the question of whether we may have to make decisions that require a mandate." Every time the Bundeswehr is deployed abroad, the majority of lawmakers in the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, must vote in favor.

Skepticism, especially in eastern Germany

Since then, politicians from all political parties have been speaking out daily on the idea of deploying troops to Ukraine. Most of them are skeptical or flat-out opposed. Almost all of them point out that any decision on this matter is still a long way off.

Politicians from eastern Germany are especially opposed to the plan. There, both left-wing and right-wing parties, such as the socialist Left Party and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), are particularly vehement in their rejection of such an idea.

Michael Kretschmer (CDU), who heads a minority government in the eastern state of Saxony, where the AfD is very strong, is one of the strongest voices of opposition within Merz's party. "German soldiers fighting in Ukraine must not be an option," Kretschmer said this week.

Johannes Winkel, the head of the CDU's youth organization, Junge Union, took a very different view. "We can't say on the one hand that we need to reduce our dependence on the US military and that Europe finally has to grow up, and on the other hand refuse to take responsibility when it becomes concrete for the first time," he told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland on August 21.

What is the opposition's stance?

The Green Party has expressed skepticism over the results of the Ukraine summit in Washington. "No substantial progress has been made," Omid Nouripour, the Greens' foreign policy expert, said in a TV interview with RTL and ntv on August 19. He urged Europe to build up its own protection forces to enable them to give security guarantees to Ukraine even without involving the US.

Left Party leader Jan van Aken suggested a UN peacekeeping force of 30,000 to 40,000 soldiers as a security guarantee for Ukraine. He said it would be important for China to participate "because Russian soldiers would not shoot at Chinese soldiers." However, he also warned that the involvement of German troops could be reminiscent of events in World War II, when the German army invaded Russia.

AfD leader Alice Weidel warned that Germany could itself become a target and demanded: "Germany needs reconciliation with Russia instead of constant confrontation."

Meanwhile, Wolfgang Ischinger, the long-standing head of the Munich Security Conference, wrote on X: "There is not a single indication that President Putin is prepared to end this war at the moment." Many observers in Germany agree.

This article was originally written in German.

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