Chairman of the CDU and likely future Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz said that the conflict between Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump during the meeting at the White House could have been deliberately provoked by the US. This was reported by “Bild” on Monday, March 3.
“In my opinion, the reaction to Zelensky’s words in the Oval Office was not spontaneous — it was obviously a provoked escalation. I was somewhat surprised by the tone of the conversation, because it did not bring any benefit,” Merz said.
According to him, such rhetoric corresponds to the general line of behavior of the new US administration in recent months.
“What we have now observed in Washington has a certain consistency in a number of events in recent weeks, in particular in the presence of the American delegation at the Munich Security Conference,” he added.
Donald Trump was also criticized by former Polish President Lech Walesa, who sent a letter to the US president.
“We watched your conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with horror and disgust. We find your expectations of Ukraine’s gratitude for the material assistance the US provides in the fight against Russia offensive. Gratitude belongs to the heroic Ukrainian soldiers who shed their blood defending the values of the free world,” Walesa wrote.
The letter from the former Polish President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate was one of the harshest condemnations of Trump’s policy towards Kyiv.
Anna Lysa, “Correspondent”
