Germany Responds to Trump's Call for Elections in Ukraine — Reuters
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the German government support Volodymyr Zelenskyy as president of Ukraine. This was Germany’s response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for elections to select a new Ukrainian head of state.
This was stated by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadepul.
Wadeful emphasized that Germany continues to support Ukraine and its government, and “fully supports the president in carrying out his difficult duties.”
He made this statement during a meeting with the leadership of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
The comments came after Trump called on Saturday for Zelenskyy to be replaced. According to journalists, they signaled a deepening of differences between Berlin and Washington.
Germany, which is Ukraine’s largest European donor, confirmed on Saturday its intention to maintain sanctions against Russia. This came despite Trump’s announcement of a temporary suspension of U.S. sanctions on Russian fuel.
Wadeful, who met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov last month on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, stressed the need for “consistency and clarity” to support Ukraine and compel Moscow to come to the negotiating table.
“We don’t need less pressure; we need more pressure on Putin so that he is ready for negotiations… That is what this moment demands, and that is what the government is striving for,” Wadeful said, according to Reuters.
Earlier, Zelenskyy outlined a condition for holding presidential elections in Ukraine.
Earlier, Elon Musk, following Trump’s lead, criticized Zelenskyy.
U.S. President Donald Trump once again blamed Ukraine for the lack of a peace agreement with Russia, while stating that the Kremlin is allegedly interested in resolving the war. Separately, the U.S. leader praised Moscow for supplying large volumes of oil at low prices.
In addition, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the Russian-Ukrainian war could have been avoided, attributing its outbreak to “incompetence.” He also reiterated that, had he been president, Russia’s invasion allegedly would not have taken place.
