Friedrich Merz, the future Chancellor of Germany: What Should Ukraine Expect?
24 February 2025 10:14
OPINION
In the German Bundestag elections, the center-right Christian Democratic Union won, gaining 208 seats in the parliament. The second place went to Alternative for Germany (152 seats). The third was the political force of current Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the Social Democratic Party (120 seats). ” The Greens won 85 seats, Die Linke won 64 seats, and one seat went to the Union of South Schleswig Voters.
The leader of the winning party, Friedrich Merz, said he plans to form a federal government by April 20. The election results show that his political force is likely to avoid the participation of such odious parties as the AfD and Die Linke in this government.
What is known about Friedrich Merz
Friedrich Merz was born in 1955 in Brilon and began his political career in 1972, joining the CDU. After earning a law degree from the University of Bonn, Merz worked as a judge and lawyer before plunging into politics. His political career included serving in the European Parliament from 1989 to 1994, after which he became a member of the Bundestag. Merz became a particularly prominent figure in 2000, when he took over the CDU/CSU faction after Wolfgang Schäuble’s resignation.
Merz had a complicated relationship with Angela Merkel, based on ideological differences – Merz was in favor of maintaining the conservative course of the party, while Merkel leaned more to the left.
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Merz’s position on Ukraine
In May 2022, Merz visited Kyiv and toured the settlements in the Kyiv region, including Irpin, that had been destroyed by Russian troops. He has consistently opposed the construction of Nord Stream 2 and called for its halt after the poisoning of Alexei Navalny.
In September 2024, speaking as a candidate for chancellor, Merz criticized Western aid to Ukraine, saying that the allies acted “too late” and did “too little.” Merz has repeatedly stated that Europe, including Germany, should supply Ukraine with more weapons. For example, Merz is even ready to supply Ukraine with Taurus missiles, which is an absolute taboo for the current chancellor.
Thus, Friedrich Merz’s position looks somewhat more pro-Ukrainian than that of the current Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
“Merz is the white swan of Europe”
The winner of the election has already published a statement of support for Ukraine in X, timed to coincide with the third anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion.
“Three years of Russian aggressive war against #Ukraine. Three years of war in Europe. For three years now, we have been accompanied by horrific images of destruction and war crimes. Europe continues to stand firmly on the side of Ukraine. Now, more than ever, we must put Ukraine in a position of strength. For a just peace, the country under attack must participate in peace negotiations,”
– he wrote.
According to political analyst Oleh Lisnyi, Merz is one of the few German politicians who has consistently supported Ukraine.
“Merz is rather one of the white swans in this pond of black swans that are “nightmarizing” this poor world and Ukraine. I think that this is still in our favor, and not so much for us as for Europe,”
– the expert said in an exclusive commentary to 
.
Merz’s first statement after the victory was that he would take care of the unity of Europe first and foremost. According to the political scientist, this is also a positive message for Ukraine.
“Therefore, Merz’s victory is rather positive for us. This is an election that really broke out of the trend that every subsequent election in any country worsens our situation,”
– oleg Lisnyi summarized.
