The chair of the European Parliament’s Defence Committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, commented today on a scheduled video conference between German opposition leader Friedrich Merz and former U.S. President Donald Trump. While acknowledging the importance of the initiative, she expressed limited expectations regarding its potential for success.
Speaking to RTL and ntv, Strack-Zimmermann stated that Germany, alongside France and the United Kingdom, is appropriately taking a role in engaging with Trump. She referenced a widely held belief that the last person to speak with Trump often has the greatest influence.
Her primary hope for the conversation is to deliver a firm message: “There can be no deal concerning Ukraine”. She emphasized that excluding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from any negotiations would be a significant error, given that the conflict directly impacts Ukraine and its people, who have been defending themselves against Russian aggression for over two and a half years.
Strack-Zimmermann expressed hope that this point-that any resolution is impossible without the participation of Ukraine and Europe-will be clearly communicated to Trump.
