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Chancellor and Christian Democratic Union (CDU) chairman Friedrich Merz said Germany stands with Israel and opposes anyone in the country who questions Israel's right to exist.

Speaking at a meeting of the CDU's youth organisation, the Junge Union, in Bonn, Merz also pledged continued support for Ukraine and warned against political forces he said were downplaying threats to Germany.

Warning to CDU lawmakers

Merz warned his party's lawmakers against backing figures from those circles for state positions. "Anyone who thinks such people should be elected to state office has no place in the CDU," he said.

Key takeaways

• Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany stands with Israel and opposes anyone who questions the country's right to exist.
• Merz pledged that Germany will not abandon Ukraine in the fifth winter of the war and warned that the Russian threat is real.
• He criticised the Greens and SPD for coalition talks with the Left Party in Berlin after the state parliament elections.
• Merz warned CDU lawmakers that anyone who promotes AfD figures for state office has no place in the party.