German journalist asks Zelensky how to help kill more Russians
Question from Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung correspondent at Belgrade conference sparks shock and condemnation, while Zelensky warns of new North Korean reinforcements for Russia.
Question from Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung correspondent at Belgrade conference sparks shock and condemnation, while Zelensky warns of new North Korean reinforcements for Russia.
At a press conference held on Saturday in Belgrade, Michael Martens, a correspondent for the renowned German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), posed a question to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that caused a stir in the region and beyond. "Can you tell us, Europeans, what specifically we can do to help you kill more Russians?" Martens asked, while Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić stood at another podium, visibly taken aback by the phrasing.
Martens quickly corrected himself, adding that he meant "more Russian soldiers, of course." The video from the conference, posted on Twitter on August 8 by the account The Other Side Media, quickly went viral in Europe and was highlighted in Russian and Ukrainian media, but was absent from Western mainstream outlets. Particular attention was drawn to Vučić's reaction, raised eyebrows and a facial expression betraying disbelief. Zelensky responded to the question with his usual calls for more money, weapons, and stronger sanctions against Moscow.
The Serbian president did not answer the question directly but diplomatically stated that he wants all killings to stop. "Today we did not discuss military cooperation. What will happen when the war ends is another matter. And when we talk about killing, I hope that all killings will cease," Vučić said.
Due to the controversy, FAZ also issued a statement expressing "regret," but at the same time defended its journalist, stating that his remark was "ambiguously phrased."
The controversy was further fueled by a revelation published on August 10 by The Other Side Media. According to their claims, Martens's grandfather was a high-ranking officer in the Wehrmacht, the armed forces of Nazi Germany. This information sparked a new wave of criticism, including an online petition calling for his dismissal.
Jovanović, the president of the opposition New Democratic Party of Serbia, told the Russian state agency TASS that the Russophobic statements by the FAZ correspondent show that "some Germans have not learned the lesson from the Eastern Front of World War II."
While the debate over the German journalist's phrasing was taking place in Belgrade, Zelensky posted a series of concerning updates on Twitter on August 10. "For the first time in its history, Russia cannot fight without reinforcements from North Korea," the Ukrainian president wrote. "It is currently preparing to deploy an additional North Korean contingent on its territory. It has also received additional ballistic missiles from North Korea."
Zelensky warned that the cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang has global implications. "The more North Korean attacks here in Ukraine, in Europe, the more their missiles and soldiers are used, the more they correct their shortcomings and blind spots," he said, adding that the danger will grow over time for Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, and other countries in the region.
In a separate post the same day, Zelensky claimed that Ukraine possesses Russian internal polling data showing that the number of people wanting an end to the war is already increasing. "This must become even more evident. So that Putin, his administration, his FSB aides, and everyone else understand equally well: peace is the only option," Zelensky said.
