German chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz arrives in Kyiv
Photo: Friedrich Merz, German chancellor candidate (Getty Images)
Friedrich Merz, a candidate for the post of German Chancellor from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), arrived in Kyiv on an unannounced visit. Only last week, the current head of the German government, Olaf Scholz, visited Ukraine, Spiegel reports.
“Only if Ukraine can defend itself will Putin enter into negotiations. I traveled to Kyiv today to find out what the situation is like in Ukraine and where we can provide support,” Merz wrote on his X.
Merz arrived in Kyiv by a special train in the morning. Plans for his visit were kept secret for security reasons.
“If our support for Ukraine weakens, this war will last longer. If our support for Ukraine is consistent, then this war will end faster,” Merz said upon arrival and added that he was looking forward to meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
This is Merz's second visit to Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Elections in Germany
In early November, Germany's ruling coalition collapsed after the dismissal of Finance Minister Christian Lindner. On November 8, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier handed the ministers their resignation letters.
After that, Scholz declared his readiness to submit a vote of confidence to the Bundestag.
Sometime later, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) officially nominated Scholz as its main candidate for chancellor in the upcoming federal elections.
