Main image by Michael Kappeler / dpa / picture alliance
Friedrich Merz, leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Germany's leading opposition party, believes Germany should supply combat aircraft to Ukraine.
In an interview with ARD, cited by DW, Merz argued that it's essential to help Ukraine "at least restore sovereignty over its own airspace."
"These increasingly frequent missile attacks on infrastructure, power and water supply facilities, hospitals, and elderly homes cannot be controlled from the ground alone," Merz stated.
Therefore, he believes that supplying combat aircraft to Ukraine is already a settled issue in many countries, including within the EU.
"We Germans cannot remain on the sidelines," the politician added.
Last week at the NATO summit in Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that Denmark and the Netherlands have begun transferring American F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. According to him, these aircraft will appear in Ukrainian skies this summer.
Norway also announced the transfer of six F-16s to Ukraine this year.
As President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized, Ukraine needs at least 128 F-16 fighter jets.
