Germany’s Merz condemns Russian ‘terror against civilians’ in Ukraine
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A police investigator outside an apartment building that was damaged by a Russian drone strike in Kyiv on June 10.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BERLIN – German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on June 10 slammed Russian “terror against the civilian population” in Ukraine after Moscow escalated its bombardments there.
Speaking at a press conference with his Dutch counterpart, Mr Dick Schoof, Mr Merz called the recent Russian attacks “the most serious war crimes”
Mr Merz said that Russia’s latest actions were “anything but a proportionate response to the very precise Ukrainian attacks on military airfields and infrastructure in the last week”.
“Russia wanted to create a bloodbath and the fact that this only happened in a limited way is thanks to effective Ukrainian defence,” he said, adding: “Once again, Russia is escalating instead of negotiating”.
Mr Merz’s comments come ahead of a Group of Seven summit in Canada from June 15 to 17 and a Nato meeting later in the month, where allies will push US President Donald Trump to be more aggressive in punishing the Kremlin.
Mr Schoof agreed on the importance of supporting Kyiv, saying that Ukraine was fighting not only for its own security “but also for the security of Europe... after a war of aggression that was started by Russia”.
On the question of new sanctions on Russia
“There will be further sanctions on the banking sector, in the energy sector,” he said.
Mr Merz said that while Kyiv’s allies were “ready for negotiations at any time, if negotiations are refused – and they are being refused on the Russian side”, then the response must be “military strength and massive economic pressure”.
Ukraine’s allies must send “a signal of strength and deterrence” to Russia, Mr Merz said.
“This is unfortunately the only language that Moscow understands in the current weeks and months.” AFP
