German journalist Michael Martens asked at the media conference in the middle of Belgrade Volodymyr Zelensky how can Europe help to "kill more Russians", that is, "Russian soldiers". It turned out to be a minor scandal. Martens then told "Vreme" where he was wrong and where he thought he was not.
The matter did not end there. The editors of "Vremena" received his letter FAZ.
"Thank you for your inquiry regarding the press conference that was held on Saturday in Belgrade. There, our correspondent from the Balkans, Michael Martens, asked the Ukrainian president what the Europeans can do to help Ukraine kill more Russian soldiers," he writes at the beginning of the memo.
Fencing from Martens' "Killing the Russians"
The explanation immediately follows: "It referred to the current debates of military experts, which are being conducted around the question of how the Russian army could be put in personnel difficulties in order to induce Russia to negotiate peace."
And fencing: "However, the question was formulated in an ambiguous way, which we regret. The editorial policy of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung is not to kill as many Russian soldiers as possible. FAZ stands for Ukraine's right to self-defense, which is guaranteed by international law, and for the fastest possible end to Russia's war of aggression."
Michael Martens for "Vreme": Why he thinks it is necessary to "kill the Russians"
Michael Martens' protection
FAZ then defends Martens, because after the media conference of Vučić and Zelenski, there were "slanders and threats addressed to our correspondent".
"That is unacceptable," he writes further, "press freedom includes the right to ask questions, especially at a press conference. We will respond to threats against our employees with legal means."
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