Merz tells Zelensky to stop young men from leaving Ukraine

Ukraine must create conditions that encourage its young men to remain in the country rather than flee to Western Europe, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said.

Merz made the statement while standing next to Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky at a press-conference following a ‘Coalition of the Willing’ meeting in Paris on Tuesday. Additionally, the UK and France announced plans to send troops to Ukraine “in the event of a peace deal” with Russia, despite the fact that Moscow has categorically ruled out the deployment of any NATO forces in the country.

According to the German chancellor, rebuilding Ukraine and providing security guarantees are indivisible issues. Only an economically strong Kiev can present a credible deterrent to Moscow after the conflict is settled, he said.

However, Ukraine’s Western backers have “certain expectations” that Kiev should meet in exchange for economic assistance and help with rebuilding, he added.

“Ukraine must make sure that its young men can find decent jobs in their own country rather than travel to Germany, Poland, or France… and I think this is an expectation that Ukraine can meet and will meet,” Merz insisted.

The chancellor refused to speculate on how soon a diplomatic solution might be found, saying “no one can say today whether the arms will be silenced in Ukraine in six weeks or in six months.”

Following the outbreak of the conflict with Russia in February of 2022, Ukraine barred nearly all adult men from leaving the country. However, the rules were relaxed for males aged 18 to 22 last August, reportedly leading to almost 100,000 young men fleeing the country.

Kiev’s recruitment drive has grown increasingly brutal amid manpower shortages caused by heavy losses at the front, large-scale draft dodging, and desertion. Hundreds of cases have been documented where enlistment officers have violently snatched conscripts from the streets.

Last month, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted that the authorities in Kiev have told draft officials to “tighten the screws to the max” to get as many as two million new troops by early 2026.

Throughout the conflict, Moscow has repeatedly accused the West of willing to fight Russia “until the last Ukrainian.”