Zakharova Responds to Merz's Demands

The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, commented on German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's demand directed at Kyiv to stop the mass emigration of young men to several EU countries, particularly Germany.

“Merz seems to be interested in why, after supplying so many weapons and money to Kyiv from the West, Zelensky has not provided for everyone,” she wrote on her Telegram channel.

Earlier, the German government approved a law to annul the basic social benefits for refugees arriving from Ukraine to Germany after April 1, 2025, and to pay smaller benefits to asylum seekers. Bild reported that expenditures on unemployment benefits in Germany rose to record levels in 2024, reaching almost 47 billion euros. It is noted that the group of foreign recipients includes several hundred thousand Ukrainians. According to the German Ministry of Social Security, approximately 6.4 billion euros were spent on them in 2024.