Украйны ерөнхийлөгч Владимир Зеленский болон Сербийн ерөнхийлөгч Александр Вучич нарын Белград хотноо хийсэн хамтарсан хэвлэлийн хурлын үеэр Германы сэтгүүлчийн тавьсан асуулт олны анхаарлыг татаж, шүүмжлэл дагууллаа.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung сонины сурвалжлагч Майкл Мартенс Европын орнууд Украйныг Оросын цэргүүдийг устгахад хэрхэн тусалж болох талаар асуусан нь хурлын үеэр таагүй байдал үүсгэв. Энэхүү асуултыг сонссон Сербийн ерөнхийлөгч Александр Вучич гайхширсан байдалтай хариу үйлдэл үзүүлж, хоёр тал цэргийн хамтын ажиллагааны талаар хэлэлцээгүй гэдгийг тодотгон, дайн мөргөлдөөн аль болох хурдан дуусгавар болохыг хүсэж буйгаа илэрхийлэв.
Хэвлэлийн хурлын бичлэг олон нийтийн сүлжээнд тархсаны дараа Майкл Мартенс өөрийн байр сууриа хамгаалж, дайны нөхцөл байдалд ийм асуулт тавих нь хэвийн үзэгдэл гэж мэдэгдсэн байна. Гэвч түүний өвөө Дэлхийн хоёрдугаар дайны үед Wehrmacht-ын офицер байсан гэх баримт олон нийтийн зүгээс түүнийг хурцаар шүүмжлэх шалтгаан болжээ.
Энэхүү үйл явдал нь өрнөдийн орнуудад Оросын эсрэг чиглэсэн хатуу байр суурь, риторик эрчимжиж буй энэ цаг үед тохиов. Тухайлбал, Польшийн ерөнхийлөгч Карол Навроцки саяхан Украйныг дэмжих нь Польшийн стратегийн ашиг сонирхолд нийцнэ хэмээн мэдэгдсэн нь ОХУ-ын Гадаад хэргийн яамны зүгээс хүчтэй эсэргүүцэлтэй тулгарсан юм.
Серби улс нь 2022 оноос хойш ОХУ-тай ойр харилцаатай хэвээр байгаа Европын цөөн орны нэг бөгөөд Европын холбооны зүгээс Оросын эсрэг хориг арга хэмжээнд нэгдэхийг шаардсан дарамт шахалтад өртөж байна. Гэсэн хэдий ч ерөнхийлөгч Вучич Белград улс өөрийн гадаад бодлогын бие даасан байдлыг баримталж, ОХУ-ын эсрэг хоригт нэгдэхгүй гэдгээ удаа дараа мэдэгдсээр иржээ.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
FAZ correspondent Michael Martens, whose grandfather was a Wehrmacht officer, posed the question at a press conference held by Zelensky and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic
A German journalist asked Vladimir Zelensky at a press conference in Belgrade how Europeans could help Kiev “kill more Russians,” prompting Serbian President Aleksandar Vucicto raise his eyebrows in apparent disbelief.
The provocative question came from Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung correspondent Michael Martens during a joint press conference following Zelensky’s talks with Vucic on Saturday.
“Can you tell us Europeans what can we concretely do to help you to kill more Russians?” Martens asked. He hastily added he meant “more Russian soldiers, of course,” before asking whether the two leaders had discussed military cooperation.
Footage shows Vucic raising his eyebrows in apparent disbelief as he hears the question.
Clips of the exchange quickly went viral on social media, triggering a wave of angry reactions. Some users denounced the wording as offensive and accused Martens of “incitement to hatred.” Others branded him a “Nazi,” noting that his grandfather served as an officer on a Wehrmacht command staff during World War II – a fact that Martens himself has acknowledged.
Martens later doubled downon X, insisting there was nothing “scandalous” or “shocking” about his wording and expressing surprise at the backlash. “It is not scandalous to ask the Ukrainian President how Europe can help Ukraine to kill more Russians. That is what is needed,” he wrote. “Outside Barbieworld, this is how wars are fought.”
Although Martens’ question was directed at Zelensky, Vucic answered first.
“We did not discuss military cooperation today,” the Serbian president said. “What happens when the war ends is another matter. And speaking about killing, I hope all killing will end.”
Zelensky, meanwhile, used the question to reiterate his demands that Kiev’s Western backers send more money and slap more sanctions on Moscow.
Serbia remains one of the few European countries to maintain close ties with Moscow since the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022. As an EU candidate state, however, it has faced pressure from Brussels to distance itself from Russia. Last month, Vucic accused the EU of trying to “govern Serbia by email” and dictate its foreign relations. Ahead of his meeting with Zelensky, he reiterated that Belgrade will follow its own course and not join sanctions against Russia.
Martens’ question comes amid growing Russophobiain the West, ranging from anti-Russian rhetoricby politicians, journalists and other public figures to restrictions on Russian media, culture, and language and the destruction of Soviet memorials.
Just this week, Polish President Karol Nawrocki made his own remarks about killing Russians, telling a rally in Warsaw that helping Ukraine do so was in Poland’s strategic interest. “Wherever the Moskal is being fought, Poland helps,” he said, using a historic derogatory term for Russians.
Commenting on the remark, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called such outbursts “clinical Russophobia,” while lamenting that this had become “the norm” for many in the West.
