Friedrich Merz said he was “somewhat surprised” by the acrimonious White House exchange and added the “mutual tone” was “not helpful.”Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Trump and Zelenskyy’s White House clash a ‘deliberate escalation’ by US, says Germany’s Merz – POLITICO

by · POLITICO

Germany’s likely next chancellor said Monday that the bitter clash between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and United States President Donald Trump in the Oval Office last week was a “deliberate escalation” by the latter.

In stunning scenes on Friday that sent political shockwaves across Europe, Zelenskyy was mocked and belittled by Trump and Vice President JD Vance, who accused him of not doing enough to end Moscow’s full-scale invasion and being ungrateful for American aid.

Zelenskyy, who had travelled to Washington to sign a minerals agreement with the U.S. and shore up Trump’s support for Kyiv, was booted from the White House and forced to return home empty-handed.