Merz calls Ukraine’s refinery strikes “entirely right, reasonable and understandable,” saying they weaken Moscow’s war effort as Russia escalates before winter

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz defended Ukraine’s attacks on Russian oil refineries on Friday after an EU summit in Brussels, saying they were “entirely right, reasonable and understandable” because they impair Moscow’s ability to wage war.

Merz said he saw no readiness from Russia or President Vladimir Putin to end the conflict. He accused Moscow of trying to escalate the fighting further ahead of winter while massively damaging Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

He said Europe and Germany support Ukraine not to prolong the war, but to bring Russia to the negotiating table.

Merz also said EU leaders remain deeply divided over the bloc’s upcoming seven-year budget. A smaller group of countries, including Germany, is pushing for significant cuts to the European Commission’s proposals, arguing that a roughly 50 percent increase in the European budget is financially unfeasible.

Leaders are expected to discuss the budget in detail at a likely additional European Council meeting in November and during multi-day talks in December. Merz said he hoped the Council would reach a unanimous decision on the budgets for 2028 and later years, although too many conflicting views remain.