'Victory means restoring territorial integrity' — Merz reaffirms support for Ukraine ahead of elections

Friedrich Merz, the leading contender to become Germany's next chancellor, said that if elected, his strategic priorities would include a just end to Russia's war against Ukraine, Der Spiegel reported on Jan. 23.

The statement comes after Merz’s meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on Jan. 22.

Merz is the chancellor candidate of the conservative CDU/CSU alliance for the February parliamentary elections. The veteran politician has repeatedly criticized sitting Chancellor Olaf Scholz for supposedly hesitant approach in the support of Ukraine and called for the provision of long-range Taurus missiles.

Speaking about ending the war, Merz stressed that Ukraine should "win the war" and be free to choose its political and military alliances.

"Victory means restoring territorial integrity with a democratically legitimate government exercising full sovereignty," Merz added. The German politician nevertheless stressed that Germany should not become a party to the war.

Germany has become Ukraine’s second largest military donor after the U.S., making it Kyiv’s leading supporter on the European continent. Berlin’s importance in the pro-Ukraine coalition is likely to grow as U.S. President Donald Trump hinted at reducing his country’s involvement in the war.

While Berlin has allocated 4 billion euros ($4.2 billion) in defense aid for Ukraine in 2025, some ministers of the outgoing coalition government called for an additional 3 billion ($3.15 billion), a step Scholz refuses to take without additional borrowing.

The CDU/CSU alliance, whose backing is crucial for any bill to pass the parliament since the ruling coalition lost majority, voiced support for the additional aid package but rejected abandoning the debt break, leading to a legislative impasse.

With Scholz’s government in shambles, conservative rival touts more decisive Ukraine strategy

Editor’s note: The article was updated to reflect Friedrich Merz’s latest comments regarding the debt brake. For the second time in his life, Friedrich Merz is a step away from taking charge of Germany. Losing the fight to control the Christian Democratic Union in 2002 to future Chancellor Angela…

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek