FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG DISTANCES ITSELF FROM MARTENS' QUESTION

BERLIN, AUGUST 10 /SRNA/ - The editorial board of the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung distanced itself from a question posed by its journalist Michael Martens to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about what European countries could do to help Ukraine “kill more Russians”, but declined to condemn his controversial statement.

“The question was ambiguously worded, which we regret. It is not the position of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung or its editors that as many Russian soldiers as possible should be killed,” the board said in a statement quoted by Martens on X.

For his part, Martens said he was “quite satisfied” with the newspaper’s statement.

The Russian Embassy in Serbia said today that Martens’ question amounted to a call for unlawful acts and a direct threat against Russians. The statement added that Russian, Serbian and German law provides for criminal liability for such calls.

Meanwhile, more than 3,000 people have signed a petition on the Change.org platform calling for Martens to be fired over his question to Zelensky.

At a press conference held by Zelensky and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić in Belgrade on August 8, Martens asked Zelensky what European countries could do to help Ukraine “kill more Russians.”