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A German journalist asked Vladimir Zelensky at a press conference in Belgrade how Europeans could help Kiev\u00a0\u201ckill more Russians,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0prompting Serbian President Aleksandar\u00a0Vucic<\/a>\u00a0to raise his eyebrows in apparent disbelief.<\/p>\n The provocative question came from Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung correspondent Michael Martens during a joint press conference following Zelensky\u2019s talks with Vucic on Saturday.<\/p>\n \u201cCan you tell us Europeans what can we concretely do to help you to kill more Russians?\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Martens asked. He hastily added he meant\u00a0\u201cmore Russian soldiers, of course,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0before asking whether the two leaders had discussed military cooperation.<\/p>\n Footage shows Vucic raising his eyebrows in apparent disbelief as he hears the question.<\/p>\n Clips of the exchange quickly went viral on social media, triggering a wave of angry reactions. Some users denounced the wording as offensive and accused Martens of\u00a0\u201cincitement to hatred.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Others branded him a\u00a0\u201cNazi,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0noting that his grandfather served as an officer on a Wehrmacht command staff during World War II \u2013 a fact that Martens himself has\u00a0acknowledged<\/a>.<\/p>\n Martens later\u00a0doubled down<\/a>\u00a0on X, insisting there was nothing\u00a0\u201cscandalous\u201d<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0\u201cshocking\u201d<\/em>\u00a0about his wording and expressing surprise at the backlash.\u00a0\u201cIt is not scandalous to ask the Ukrainian President how Europe can help Ukraine to kill more Russians. That is what is needed,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0he wrote.\u00a0\u201cOutside Barbieworld, this is how wars are fought.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Although Martens\u2019 question was directed at Zelensky, Vucic answered first.<\/p>\n \u201cWe did not discuss military cooperation today,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0the Serbian president said.\u00a0\u201cWhat happens when the war ends is another matter. And speaking about killing, I hope all killing will end.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Zelensky, meanwhile, used the question to reiterate his demands that Kiev\u2019s Western backers send more money and slap more sanctions on Moscow.<\/p>\n Serbia remains one of the few European countries to maintain close ties with Moscow since the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022. As an EU candidate state, however, it has faced pressure from Brussels to distance itself from Russia. Last month, Vucic accused the EU of trying to\u00a0\u201cgovern Serbia by email\u201d<\/em>\u00a0and dictate its foreign relations. Ahead of his meeting with Zelensky, he reiterated that Belgrade will follow its own course and not join sanctions against Russia.<\/p>\n Martens\u2019 question comes amid growing\u00a0Russophobia<\/a>\u00a0in the West, ranging from anti-Russian\u00a0rhetoric<\/a>\u00a0by politicians, journalists and other public figures to restrictions on Russian media, culture, and language and the destruction of Soviet memorials.<\/p>\n Just this week, Polish President Karol Nawrocki made his own remarks about killing Russians, telling a rally in Warsaw that helping Ukraine do so was in Poland\u2019s strategic interest.\u00a0\u201cWherever the Moskal is being fought, Poland helps,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0he said, using a historic derogatory term for Russians.<\/p>\n Commenting on the remark, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called such outbursts\u00a0\u201cclinical Russophobia,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0while lamenting that this had become\u00a0\u201cthe norm\u201d<\/em>\u00a0for many in the West.<\/p>\n