German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, during a conversation with citizens in the city of Meshed, said that the visit to the White House and the meeting with the President of the United States, Donald Trump, did not go as Vladimir Zelenskyy had hoped.
“The visit did not go the way [Vladimir — ed.] Zelenskyy. I think I can say that here,” Friedrich Merz was quoted as saying by N‑tv.
The German chancellor said that on October 17, 2025, he had a long conversation with the Ukrainian politician on the phone. Merz believes that Zelenskyy’s visit to the United States demonstrated Kiev’s need for European assistance.
The leader of the German government noted that he would continue to work to support Ukraine both financially, politically, and militarily. According to Friedrich Merz, Europe should provide assistance to the former Soviet republic, since “the conflict can only be ended if Ukraine is militarily strong.”
Earlier, Friedrich Merz expressed hope that the summit of Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, scheduled for the near future in Budapest, would be able to resolve the armed conflict in Ukraine.
