A week after Chancellor Olaf Scholz's trip to Ukraine, the leader of the German conservatives, Friedrich Merz, arrived in Kyiv.
The leader of the German conservatives Friedrich Merz, favorite in the next elections, arrived in Kyiv on Monday, a week after the trip to Ukraine by his rival, the Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Mr. Merz is in favor under certain conditions of a delivery of German Taurus missiles to Kyivunlike Olaf Scholz who always refuses for fear of an escalation with Russia.
Mr. Merz, leader of the German Christian Democratic party CDU, is to be received Monday morning by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“I traveled to Kyiv today to find out what the situation is in Ukraine and where we can provide support”he declared 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.
Ukraine at the heart of the chancellery campaign
A week ago, Olaf Scholz also went to Kyivassuring Volodymyr Zelensky that Russia could not “dictate” its conditions for peace to Ukraine.
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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.
Since the Russian invasion, Germany is the second largest supplier of military aid to Kyiv, after the United States.
And the war in Ukraine has already established itself as one of the major themes of the electoral campaign in Germany, for which Friedrich Merz's 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 Sunday that he wanted “lasting peace” for his country, the day after an interview in Paris with the American president-elect Donald Trump, who for his part indicated that Kyiv should “probably” expect less American aid after taking office.
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