The candidate for next chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, proposed to seek a "peace agreement" with Russia for Ukraine. He said he would like to see a ceasefire, The Times reported.
"We must see that the doors are open for Ukraine. We have to see opportunities opening up to end this conflict at some point," he said in an interview with public broadcaster ZDF.
It is known that the politician has previously repeatedly called on Berlin to provide more military aid to Ukraine, including a batch of long-range "Taurus" cruise missiles. Also, MPs from his party could call Olaf Scholz "a national security risk" because of his, in their words, excessive caution and hesitation.
In addition, Merz noted that Germany should provide "all means" of Ukraine to win the war.
Now, however, he is cautious about Germany's military aid to Ukraine. Merz added that Berlin should "continue to help" of Kiev and praised French President Emmanuel Macron for proposing that Western countries send troops on training missions to Ukraine.
In turn, he softened his remarks about military support and refused to repeat his earlier demands for Taurus missiles.
"I support the decisions that the government has taken on this matter. I think we did too little too late. I've always said we should have done more from the start. But now it's June 23, 2024. There's no point going back two and a half years. We are looking ahead", the politician stressed.
The publication adds, citing a poll, that almost half of voters in East Germany want Berlin to reduce arms supplies to Ukraine. However, the majority of West Germans would like them to increase or remain at the current level.
"Just over half of Germans across the country overall think more diplomatic efforts should be made to end the war, but large majorities also doubt such an outcome is possible and see Vladimir Putin as " ;frivolous" partner in negotiations." These trends are increasingly reflected in the pre-election strategies of the main parties", the material emphasizes.