Friedrich Merz, a candidate for the post of German Chancellor from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), has arrived in Kyiv on an unannounced visit.
Merz shared his impressions of the visit on Twitter, noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin would only agree to negotiations if Ukraine could defend itself. He also said that he had come to Kyiv to assess the situation in Ukraine and find out in which areas Germany could provide assistance.
According to him, if the support for Ukraine from international partners weakens, the war will last longer. If this support is consistent, the war will end faster. Merz also noted that he was looking forward to meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
„Der Krieg in der #Ukraine muss so schnell wie möglich enden. Nur wenn die Ukraine sich verteidigen kann, wird sich Putin auf Verhandlungen einlassen. Um zu erfahren, wie die Lage in der Ukraine ist und wo wir unterstützen können, bin ich heute nach #Kiew gereist.“ ™ pic.twitter.com/1f8Rvy4hGz
— Friedrich Merz (@_FriedrichMerz) December 9, 2024