Source: Tagesschau referencing Merz's statement, reports "European Truth"
Direct quote from Merz: "This is the Russian narrative, it’s how Putin has portrayed it for years, and I am honestly shocked that Donald Trump has apparently accepted it himself."
Details: He emphasized the need for Europeans to agree on a joint strategy to address this issue "very, very quickly."
According to Merz, begging for a seat at the negotiating table is the wrong approach. "Now we need to establish our own weight," he concluded.
What preceded this:
- Following Trump's statements, a number of European leaders and some members of the Republican Party voiced their support for Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelensky.
- On February 21, the European Commission confirmed that it does not question that Russia is an aggressor country.
- It is known that this concerns statements made by US President Donald Trump claiming that Ukraine "should not have started the war."