Friday’s Coverage: Power and Heating Cut to 100,000s By Latest Russian Bombardment
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told the gathering that Vladimir Putin’s 4-year full-scale invasion will “only end when Russia is at least economically, potentially militarily, exhausted”.
Noting that the Conference was a seismograph for the state of US-European relations, Merz said the Ukraine war “had forced Europe to return from a vacation from world history”.
He noted warnings that the international rules-based order is about to be destroyed, “I fear we must put it even more bluntly. This order, however imperfect it was even at its best, no longer exists in that form.”
The Chancellor continued in English:
In the era of great power rivalry, even the United States will not be powerful enough to go it alone. Dear friends, being a part of NATO is not only Europe’s competitive advantage. It is also the United States’ competitive advantage.
So let’s repair and revive transatlantic trust together.
Macron: “We Will Not Lower The Guard”
French President Emmanuel Macron said any settlement must protect Ukraine, preserve European security, and deter Russia from attempting another invasion. The rest of the world must not have a “calamitous example to follow”.
Macron emphasized the “huge strategic mistake” of urging Ukraine to accept it is defeated.
One day Russians will have to reckon with the enormity of the crime committed in their name, with the futility of the pretexts and the devastating, longer term effects on their country, but until that time comes, we will not lower the guard.
Don’t believe one second Europe is an old fashioned construction. pic.twitter.com/8NbxsSH0kj
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) February 13, 2026
Zelensky: “I Hope That We Will Have Peace”
Throughout the day, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky met a series of leaders. He posted about the support of Merz.
I discussed joint weapons production projects and diplomatic work with @bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz.
Further military assistance, additional contributions to the PURL initiative, diplomatic efforts to achieve peace, and energy support were the key topics discussed with the… pic.twitter.com/RnDpkEus8R
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 13, 2026
Zelensky also conferred with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
A Berlin format meeting with partners.
The main focus was on the situation in our energy sector and our reconstruction. Ukraine will prepare and send partners a list of needs to support our energy infrastructure and military capabilities. We are counting on their support.… pic.twitter.com/0KScrK1JTH
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 13, 2026
In an interview with Politico, Zelensky said of Russia, “I don’t think that they want to stop the war. I think that they can…under pressure….That’s why, until there is no enough pressure, they play [games].”
Earlier on Thursday, Donald Trump snapped, “Russia wants to make a deal and Zelensky is going to have to get moving. Otherwise, he’s going to miss a great opportunity.”
Zelensky implicitly responded that Trump could make a positive intervention with sanctions on Russia’s nuclear energy program.
Asked what he hopes to see this time next year, the President said, “I hope that we will have peace, that all our people will again [go] back to normal life and I hope that we will have some time for my children.”
Macron sent his own message to the Trump camp, before next Tuesday’s third set of Ukraine-Russia-US talks in Geneva, “I want to be very clear: you can negotiate without the Europeans, if you prefer, but it will not bring a peace at the table.”