From the mayor to the president: Friedrich Merz was welcomed with open arms in Kyiv. With a TV interview, the opposition leader is now putting pressure on Chancellor Scholz.
CDU leader Friedrich Merz advised Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to also travel personally to Ukraine, which was under attack from Russia.
He can only recommend this to Scholz in order to hold talks on site, Merz said after political talks in Kyiv on ZDF. He met the President, the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Parliament, the leader of the opposition and the Mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko. “You can’t have these conversations over the phone. You can’t do that with video conferencing either. You have to have these conversations in person.”
Scholz had only refused a trip to Kyiv in an interview on Monday evening because Ukraine had canceled a planned visit by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in April. The trip to Merz was the first visit by a top German politician to the Ukrainian capital since the start of the Russian war of aggression. The German opposition leader was also surprisingly received by Head of State Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
When asked whether his interlocutors in Ukraine were surprised that the opposition leader came to Kyiv first, Merz said in the ZDF “heute-journal”: “Yes, you can say that.”
Merz wants to speak to Scholz personally
The Union faction leader initially did not want to say anything about the details of his talks. He would like to personally convey to Scholz what he has to say to him: “I can definitely say a lot, also about future relations with Ukraine, about what we can do.”
In addition to the arms deliveries, the focus must also be on reconstruction and the prospect of Ukraine joining the EU. He had talked for more than an hour with President Selenskyj, Merz told journalists in Kyiv in the evening.
Regarding the Ukrainian ambassador Andriy Melnyk’s criticism of the chancellor, he said: “I think we should try rhetorically to get to a level where we don’t make mutual help unnecessarily difficult.” After Scholz’s preliminary no to a trip to Kyiv, Melnyk said: “Playing an offended liver sausage doesn’t sound very statesmanlike.” Scholz had repeatedly been accused of hesitation in delivering arms from Ukraine.
Habeck shows understanding
Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck assumes that a member of the federal government will also travel to Ukraine in the foreseeable future. “The fact that we as a government are not there yet, as the Chancellor explained, is essentially due to the fact that the Federal President was uninvited,” said the Green politician on Tuesday on the sidelines of the cabinet meeting in Meseberg near Berlin.
“But there will also be a solution. We talk to each other all the time.” Federal President Steinmeier has been criticized for his previous Russia policy as foreign minister in Ukraine.
Habeck showed understanding for Merz’s visit to Kyiv: “If I were in the opposition, I would have traveled to Ukraine.” Scholz said on Monday that he had not raised any objections to the Union faction leader’s trip. “I approve.”
The Union faction leader said on ZDF that he was most impressed by Irpin’s visit to the greater Kyiv area with the massive destruction of kindergartens, hospitals, cultural centers and private apartments. He spoke of a “completely senseless destruction”. “You have to see it up close to really get the impression of how terrible this war is,” he said.
Already on the return journey
Merz was surprised by the media presence during his on-site visit. He didn’t expect that. But that shows how great the need for personal conversations is. So he can only recommend them.
The attention of his interlocutors was very great, right down to the details of the vote on the application of the traffic light groups and the CDU / CSU in the Bundestag. Last week, the parliament voted by a large majority in favor of the delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine.
According to information from those around him, Merz wanted to start his return journey on Tuesday.
Source: Stern
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
