German Opposition Leader Merz: Trump Mirrors Putin’s Framing of Russia’s War in Ukraine

Friedrich Merz, the opposition CDU/CSU  candidate for German chancellor, said he was shocked by U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent remarks about Russia’s war against Ukraine. He described Trump’s statements as “a classic case of swapping the criminal for the victim.”

This was reported by Tagesschau on February 21.

“This is the Russian narrative—it’s how Putin has framed the situation for years. And, to be honest, I am shocked that Donald Trump has now apparently adopted it himself,” Merz said.

He stressed the urgent need for Europeans to agree on a unified strategy to address the issue “very, very quickly.”

According to Merz, pleading for a seat at the negotiating table is the wrong approach. “We must now create our own weight,” he concluded.

Trump’s comments have drawn reactions from European leaders and even some members of the U.S. Republican Party, who have spoken out in support of Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Previously, it was reported that Republican lawmakers launched efforts to pull the United States out of the United Nations, arguing that the international organization does not serve American interests and contradicts former President Donald Trump’s “America First” policy, according to Fox News on February 20.