German FM says Trump 'not a good guy' remark is campaign rhetoric

Trump criticizes Zelenskyy over refinery strikes

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Friday sought to downplay sharp criticism leveled by US President Donald Trump against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, characterizing the remarks as campaign rhetoric rather than a shift in American policy toward the war-torn country.

Trump on Thursday lambasted Zelenskyy over recent Ukrainian strikes targeting Russian oil refineries, arguing that such attacks were inflating global energy prices. He also cast doubt on the Ukrainian leader's commitment to negotiations, stating: "Zelenskyy is not a good guy for us to deal with."

Berlin views remarks as campaign rhetoric

Speaking at a press conference in Berlin, Wadephul emphasized that the comments should be understood within the context of the final phase of the US presidential election campaign. He stressed that the focus should remain on the substantive support Washington continues to provide to Ukraine in coordination with European partners.

The German minister maintained that Washington, encouraged by European capitals, was still actively working to advance negotiations to end the conflict. He insisted that the primary obstacle to peace remained Moscow's unwillingness to engage, not Kyiv's resistance to diplomacy.

Russia 'lacks willingness' to negotiate

Wadephul noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin had shown no genuine inclination toward negotiations while continuing to bombard Ukrainian cities. "From my perspective, there is still a clear lack of any willingness to negotiate on the part of the Russian president, who continues his bombardment — indeed, we have just seen a new, tragic high in the number of civilian casualties in Ukraine over the past month," he said.

The foreign minister referenced his recent meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in New York last month, noting that European calls for peace had so far failed to produce results. "That is also a point that I once again made to the Russian foreign minister. Unfortunately, it has so far fallen on deaf ears," Wadephul said, adding that Europe remained prepared to facilitate any peace negotiations while standing firmly with Ukraine.