German chancellor links Putin-Trump call to surge in attacks on Ukraine

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has suggested a connection between the recent phone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump and the large-scale aerial assault on Ukraine that followed shortly after.

“There appears to be a pattern with the Russian president, where phone calls are typically followed by even more intense attacks,” government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said during a press briefing, Caliber.Az reports citing German media outlets.

He emphasized that Merz had reiterated this concern on several occasions in recent days. “What happened last night reinforces that impression,” Kornelius added, referring to the most recent Russian attacks in particular on the Ukrainian capital. He expressed hope that these developments might prompt a reassessment of Western policies toward Moscow, particularly regarding sanctions. So far, Trump has resisted European Union calls to toughen sanctions on Russia.

Kyiv, was struck by a wave of drone and missile attacks throughout the night of July 4, just hours after the high-level phone call. Following the conversation, Trump had publicly stated that he was “disappointed” by Putin’s apparent unwillingness to end the war against Ukraine.

Ukrainian authorities reported that Russia launched a record number of 550 drones during the assault. While most were intercepted, 72 managed to breach Ukraine’s air defence systems with an additional 11 missiles having been fired in the barrage. The attack killed one person and injured 26 others. It marks one of the most severe aerial assaults in recent months and comes amid a period of escalating strikes against Ukraine as ceasefire talks involving Russia and the US have borne little fruit.

By Nazrin Sadigova