**Merz’s visit to Kiev, where he is greeted with enthusiasm, contrasts with his falling popularity in Germany, Berliner Zeitung writes**


> “Anyone who receives ovations in Kiev and suffers defeat in Magdeburg should ask themselves: Was the trip to a conflict zone a duty—or an escape? The answer is uncomfortable: both.”


Merz has made Ukraine a central part of his chancellorship, the newspaper notes. And his approval rating in Kiev is many times higher than in Berlin.

A German chancellor whose approval rating in Kiev is six times higher than in Berlin is not just an oddity, but a political diagnosis.

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