Candidate for German chancellorship from conservative bloc came to Kyiv

Friedrich Merz, leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), arrived in Kyiv on the morning of 9 December, aiming to assess Ukraine’s current defensive situation, DW reports.

Merz’s goal of the visit is to understand the Ukraine’s defense status and explore potential support mechanisms, he said after arriving at Kyiv’s railway station.

“I travelled to Kyiv today to find out what the situation is like in Ukraine and where we can provide support,” Merz said.

He assured that the CDU/CSU parliamentary faction firmly supports Ukraine, expressing a desire for the “horrible war” to end as quickly as possible and for peace to be restored in Europe.

Friedrich Merz already visited Ukraine in May 2022. He repeatedly stated the need to strengthen German military support, including the transfer of long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine.

 Merz’s visit comes exactly one week after Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s trip to Kyiv. During his visit, Merz referenced his previous statement about potentially providing Taurus long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine, contingent on specific conditions.

“I would say: if bombardments do not cease, the first step should be removing range restrictions, and the second step – delivering Taurus missiles,” Merz said.

He suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin would then decide how far he wants to escalate the conflict.

The visit follows Scholz’s recent announcement of additional military support, including a commitment to deliver 650 million euros worth of weaponry by the end of the year. The German Defense Ministry detailed these provisions would include various air defense systems like IRIS-T modifications, Leopard 1 tanks, reconnaissance and combat drones, winter equipment, night vision devices, and small arms.

Merz is a candidate for chancellor from the conservative bloc, which currently leads significantly in pre-election sociological polls ahead of the February Bundestag elections.

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