Propagandists distorted the content of the publication. In fact, the columnist expressed his personal opinion on why such a move would be appropriate from a political point of view.
“This fascist has a split personality,” write Russian propagandists in response to news that the new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, known for his support of Ukraine, is allegedly planning to come to Russia for Victory Day. These reports refer to an article in the Berliner Zeitung.
However, such claims absurdly distort the actual content of the Berliner Zeitung article. In reality, the magazine published a personal column by Nicolas Butylin entitled Kommentar: Herr Merz, zeigen Sie Mut – fliegen Sie am 9. Mai zu Putin nach Moskau! (Commentary: Mr Merz, show courage – fly to Putin in Moscow on 9 May!) In it, the editor of the geopolitics section – who, as it happens, studied Russian studies in Moscow – argues why a trip to Russia and a meeting with Vladimir Putin would be a good move on Merz’s part. It would help secure a strong negotiating position, protect Germany’s economic interests in Russia and “show respect without legitimising Putin’s propaganda”. Despite the article, however, Friedrich Merz has no plans to travel to Moscow for the Victory Day celebrations. Instead, the newly elected chancellor intends to visit Ukraine in the near future. He announced his plans on 7 May during an inaugural visit to Paris. According to Merz, the details of the trip are currently being finalised and the aim of the visit is to help bring about a ceasefire and initiate peace talks with Russia. The Chancellor stressed the importance of US participation in the negotiation process and expressed hope that Washington would continue to support Ukraine and uphold its commitments.
It is worth recalling that Friedrich Merz has consistently supported Ukraine and even criticised former Chancellor Olaf Scholz for his “indecisiveness” and “sluggishness” in supplying arms and in his stance on Ukraine’s NATO membership.
World leaders largely ignored the Kremlin’s invitation to attend the Victory Day parade – more than a third of those invited declined or sent lower-level delegations to Moscow. However, it is known that Chinese President Xi Jinping, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić will attend the celebrations. The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, confirmed that the EU had strongly advised the EU’s candidate countries to ignore the Russian leader’s invitation and not to attend any of the ceremonies in Moscow. Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he could not guarantee the safety of foreign leaders during their stay in Moscow and rejected the proposal for a “festive truce”. At the same time, Ukrainian troops were ordered to return fire only in response to Russian attacks during this period.Another debunked claim about the German Chancellor can be found in the article Manipulation: Scholz and Merz Ruled Out Ukraine’s NATO Membership.
