Germany's conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz, who is in pole position to become the country's next chancellor, arrived in Kyiv on Monday to pledge his support for the Ukrainian leadership in the war with Russia.
"We want this terrible war to end as quickly as possible and peace to be restored in Europe," Merz said on arrival in the capital, adding he wanted to assure the Ukrainian leadership of his conservative bloc's support.
Germany is the second biggest provider of financial and military aid to Ukraine after the United States. Merz, unlike German Chancellor Olaf Scholz who has repeatedly refused to do so, says Germany should provide Ukraine with the Taurus long-range cruise missiles Kyiv has long wanted if the Kremlin does not stop bombarding civilian infrastructure.
"Only if Ukraine is strong will Putin be prepared to enter into negotiations at all," said Merz. "If our support for Ukraine weakens, then this war will last longer. If our support for Ukraine is consistent, then this war will end more quickly."
The Ukraine war has emerged as one of the top issues in the campaign ahead of Germany's snap election, scheduled for Feb. 23 after the collapse of Scholz's fractious coalition.
The election, alongside the return of Donald Trump to the White House, is adding to a growing sense of uncertainty in Ukraine, where Russian troops are advancing more quickly in the east.
Merz's long-planned visit comes a week after a surprise trip by the chancellor to Ukraine, the first in two years.
A survey by pollster INSA put Merz's conservatives in first place in the election race on 32%, ahead of the far-right Alternative for Germany on 19% and the Social Democratic Party, whose candidate is Scholz, on 16%.
The AfD wants a resumption of good relations with the Kremlin but all mainstream parties refuse to work with it.
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