Kiev/Berlin, 25 November 2025 (dpa/MIA) - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have held a phone call to discuss peace efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

The two leaders "discussed the latest developments and coordinated next steps," Zelensky's office said on Tuesday.

The Ukrainian president further shared his "gratitude for the fact that Ukraine can always count on Germany's leadership and support," the statement continued.

The leaders also touched upon the latest meeting of the "Coalition of the Willing," a group of Ukraine's backers, which is set to take place on Tuesday.

Berlin confirmed the phone call, which came amid intense negotiations on US President Donald Trump's 28-point peace proposal.

The latest peace plan, presented by Washington late last week, initially appeared to contain most of the Kremlin's conditions for ending the war but has since been intensively renegotiated by European and Ukrainian diplomats.

Russian President Vladimir Putin described the original version of the 28-point plan as "the basis for a final peace settlement" but has warned against any major softening of the deal in favour of Kiev.

Washington and Kiev have reached an agreement on the most important points of the plan put forward by the United States to end the war in Ukraine, a senior Ukrainian official said on Tuesday.

According to media reports, a US delegation also negotiated on the plan with Russian representatives in Abu Dhabi.

Ukraine has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion with Western help since February 2022.

Photo: dpa