The German chancellor’s high-wire statesmanship on Ukraine has done little to alleviate his domestic woes
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Friedrich Merz hosted the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Wednesday as a weakened leader 100 days into his term, with his attempts to rally western support for Kyiv and wrangle Donald Trump failing to silence his domestic critics.
The German chancellor took the initiative for Wednesday’s lightning round of telephone conferences bringing in EU leaders, Trump and his vice-president, JD Vance. Zelenskyy’s surprise arrival in Berlin to sit in on the calls underlined Merz’s starring role in the diplomatic efforts.
He has often cut a sure-footed figure on the world stage since taking office in May, including largely holding his own in an Oval Office face-off with Trump in June, but Germans remain unconvinced by their leader’s performance overall.
