The chair of the European Parliament’s Defence Committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, commented today on a planned video conference involving German opposition leader Friedrich Merz and former U.S. President Donald Trump. While acknowledging the importance of the initiative, she expressed limited optimism regarding its potential for tangible results.
Speaking to RTL and ntv, Strack-Zimmermann stated she holds modest expectations. She did, however, emphasize the value of Germany taking a leading role alongside France and the United Kingdom in engaging with Trump.
A prevailing belief is that the last individual to speak with Trump holds the greatest influence and in that context, it’s crucial to convey a firm message: “There can be no agreement regarding Ukraine” she asserted. She further highlighted the significant error of excluding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from any such discussions, emphasizing that the matter directly concerns Ukraine, a nation that has been defending itself against Russian aggression for over two and a half years.
Strack-Zimmermann expressed hope that this point would be clearly communicated to Trump, along with the understanding that a resolution cannot be achieved without the direct involvement of Ukraine and Europe.