As the press conference turned to Ukraine, Trump said that the “would have never happened” if he had been president.
Merz said he hoped the US and Germany could work together to bring the war to an end.
“I am here to talk about how we could contribute to that goal … we are looking for measures and instruments to bring this war to an end,” Merz said.
“May I remind you tomorrow is June 6, the D-day anniversary when the Americans once ended a war in Europe,” Merz said to Trump.
“In the long run, this was the liberation of my country from Nazi dictatorship … We know what we owe you,” Merz said.
“America is again in a very strong position to do something on ending this war, so let’s talk about doing what we can,” he added.
“We are looking for more pressure on Russia, we should talk about that,” Merz said.
“It’s a bloodbath going on over there,” Trump said.
Maybe there will be “more fighting before they are able to be pulled apart,” Trump said, comparing the war in Ukraine to children fighting on a schoolyard.
“If I see Russia’s out of line, you’ll see how tough …They like to say I am friends with Russia, I am not friends with anybody, I am friends with you,” Trump said, gesturing to Merz.
“I want the right thing to happen for everybody,” Trump said.
Merz said he agreed with Trump on ending the war quickly.
“I am for stopping killing … I think we both agree on how terrible this war is, we are both looking for ways to stop it very soon,” he said.
“I told the president that he is the key person in the world who can do that by putting pressure on Russia,” Merz added.
“I think we have the duty to do something on that now to stop it.”
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