German chancellor candidate Merz slams Trump’s remarks on Ukraine

German Chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz, representing the Christian Democratic Party, expressed shock over U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks about Ukraine, calling them Russian narratives.

This was reported by Tagesschau.

According to Merz, Trump's comments represent a "classic case of swapping the perpetrator for the victim."

"This is a Russian narrative, precisely how Putin has framed it for years, and honestly, I'm somewhat shocked that Donald Trump has now apparently adopted it," he added.

The German Chancellor candidate also emphasized the importance of Europeans agreeing on a common strategy to address the issue. In his view, pleading for a seat at the negotiating table for the EU is the wrong approach.

"We must build our own leverage now," Merz explained.

Rift between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump

On February 18, Trump claimed at a press conference that trust in Ukraine's president had dropped to 4%. In response, Zelenskyy said Trump was "living in a space of disinformation."

The U.S. president also questioned the $350 billion aid to Kyiv: "We gave Kyiv, I think, $350 billion. Well, maybe a little less, but it's a significant amount. But where is all that money going? I've never seen any report on that."

"Our numbers are completely different. Everything is very clear for us: the war has cost us $320 billion. $120 billion was covered by us, the Ukrainian people, taxpayers. $200 billion came from the U.S. and the European Union, mostly weapon packages," Zelenskyy replied.

On February 19, Trump claimed Zelenskyy was refusing to hold elections and had very low approval ratings in Ukrainian polls, calling him a "dictator without elections."

Meanwhile, EU Ambassador Katarína Mathernová insisted that elections in Ukraine could not be held earlier than six months after martial law ends.

On February 20, the European Commission responded to Trump's statement, stressing that "Ukraine is a democracy, while Putin's Russia is not."