India, March 4 -- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday that the war in Ukraine must end as soon as possible, underscoring the urgency of diplomacy even as global geopolitical tensions intensify. Speaking ahead of his bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House, Merz stressed that while peace is essential, Ukraine's territorial integrity and security interests must be preserved.

"We all want to see this war coming to an end as soon as possible. But Ukraine has to preserve its territory and their security interests, and we will talk about that," Merz said before high-level talks in Washington.

The meeting took place at a delicate moment for transatlantic relations. According to a Reuters report on Merz...