Friedrich Merz, Germany's likely next chancellor, calls the confrontation between Trump and Zelensky a 'manufactured escalation'.

Merz said that the confrontation was not a spontaneous reaction to Zelenski's interventions but a manufactured escalation. He emphasized that the tone used by the two sides was not beneficial to the current diplomatic situation and called for greater security preparedness. Merz is currently trying to form a governing coalition following his victory in early parliamentary elections on February 23.