Franziska Brantner, co‑chair of Germany’s Greens, has urged Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) to fly to Kyiv and make a tangible show of German support for Ukraine. “Right now more than words from Berlin are needed” Brantner told the Funke‑media group’s newspapers in Tuesday’s edition. She added that she expects the chancellor to travel to the capital and, together with the coalition of willing parties, set a clear sign of solidarity on the ground rather than from the safety of the Chancellery.
Brantner criticised Merz’s stance after the December Berlin summit, saying it left Europeans on the sidelines while the Ukrainians were left to negotiate only with Trump and Putin. “Those who truly want peace must help Ukraine defend itself” she said, calling for increased pressure on Russia. The measures she outlined include curbing Russia’s shadow fleet, expediting the use of frozen Russian assets, and fulfilling the promised delivery of Taurus missiles.
In the context of recent Russian attacks, Brantner pointed out that while officials talk of peace, Putin is continuing a campaign of terror. Targeting homes and energy infrastructure leaves people to freeze through the winter. “In Kyiv, temperatures at night currently reach -20 °C, and hundreds of thousands are living in the cold and darkness, exhausted and threatened by hypothermia” she warned. “This is not collateral damage; it is reckoning and a war crime”.
