Mertz: Zelenskyy-Trump dispute was "deliberate escalation" by US
The head of Germany’s CDU party and potential future chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said that the dispute during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to the White House was intentionally provoked by the American side.
This is reported by tagesschau, Censor.NET reports.
Merz noted that he had watched the footage of the meeting between Trump and Zelensky in the Oval Office several times.
"In my opinion, this was not a spontaneous reaction to Zelensky's remarks, but a clear deliberate escalation at this meeting in the Oval Office. Usually, such meetings with the press last only a few minutes. On Friday, it was different," he said after consultations with CDU committees in Berlin.
He noted that he was "quite surprised, including by the mutual tone of the dialog."
The clash between Zelenskiy and U.S. President Donald Trump fits in with the current behavior of the U.S. government, Mertz added.
The dispute between Trump and Zelensky
On Friday, February 28, US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met at the White House.
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy started arguing and switched to higher tones during the meeting in the Oval Office.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy leaves the White House early after meeting with Donald Trump in the Oval Office.
No agreement on minerals between Ukraine and the United States was signed in Washington.
