The leader of German conservatives Friedrich Merz, favorite in the February parliamentary elections, arrived in kyiv on Monday. This visit comes a week after the trip to Ukraine by Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Mr. Merz, head of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), is in favor under certain conditions of a delivery of German Taurus missiles to kyiv, unlike Olaf Scholz who still refuses for fear of an escalation with Russia . He was received Monday morning by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“I made the trip to kyiv today to find out what the situation is in Ukraine and where we can provide support,” he said on X in a caption accompanying a photo of his arrival by train.
‘The war in Ukraine must end as quickly as possible. (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will only agree to negotiate if Ukraine manages to defend itself,’ he also wrote.
A week ago, Olaf Scholz also went to kyiv. He assured Volodymyr Zelensky that Russia could not ‘dictate’ its conditions for peace to Ukraine. The Ukrainian head of state said he had again discussed with the German Chancellor the request for the delivery of Taurus missiles, capable of striking deep into Russian territory.
Second aid provider
Since the Russian invasion, Germany has been the second largest supplier of military aid to kyiv, after the United States. The war in Ukraine has already established itself as one of the major themes of the electoral campaign in Germany, for which the CDU is the big favorite with around 30% of voting intentions.
Like Olaf Scholz, Friedrich Merz had already visited Ukraine shortly after the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022.
These trips come at a time when Ukrainian forces are retreating on the front and when the arrival in January of Donald Trump at the White House is raising fears of a cessation of American aid to kyiv.
Volodymyr Zelensky assured on Sunday that he wanted ‘lasting peace’ for his country, the day after an interview in Paris with US President-elect Donald Trump, who for his part indicated that kyiv should ‘probably’ expect less American aid after taking office.
/ATS
