Merz is ’shocked’ by Trump’s statements on war in Ukraine: It’s classic substitution of role of perpetrator and victim
German chancellor candidate from the CDU/CSU Friedrich Merz said he was shocked by US President Donald Trump's statements about Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to Tagesschau.
Merz said that ‘in fact, there is a classic substitution of the role of the perpetrator and the victim’.
"This is the Russian narrative, this is how Putin has been presenting it for years, and I'm frankly shocked that Donald Trump has now apparently embraced it," Merz said.
It is noted that US President Donald Trump has actually accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of continuing the aggressive war against Ukraine launched by Russia in February 2022.
"It is now important that Europeans agree very, very quickly on a common strategy to address this issue," Mertz said.
In addition, he said, it is wrong to ask and beg for a seat at the negotiating table.
"Now we have to develop our own weight," he stressed.
Trump's statements about Zelenskyy's rating
The day before, Trump said that elections should be held in Ukraine, as Zelenskyy's approval rating had fallen to 4%.
As of the first half of February 2025, 57% of Ukrainians trust President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, while 37% do not, according to a KIIS survey.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the statements about his 4% rating disinformation.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump called Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "dictator without elections" because he allegedly convinced America to "spend $350 billion on the war".
