23.The statement comes after Merz’s meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on Jan. 22.Merz is the chancellor candidate of the conservative CDU/CSU alliance for the February parliamentary elections. The veteran politician has repeatedly criticized sitting Chancellor Olaf Scholz for supposedly hesitant approach in the support of Ukraine and called for the provision of long-range Taurus missiles.Speaking about ending the war, Merz stressed that Ukraine should "win the war" and be free to choose its political and military alliances."Victory means restoring territorial integrity with a democratically legitimate government exercising full sovereignty," Merz added. The German politician nevertheless stressed that Germany should not become a party to the war.Germany has become Ukraine’s second largest military donor after the U.S.