Open this photo in gallery: Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party leader Friedrich Merz speaks at the party headquarters, after the exit poll results are announced for the 2025 general election, in Berlin, Germany, February 23, 2025.Angelika Warmuth/Reuters Germany’s mainstream conservatives led by Friedrich Merz won Germany’s national election, ensuring that Ukraine has an even stronger supporter in the European Union’s largest country and creating hopes for renewal in an economic powerhouse that has been badly battered in recent years. The far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) surged to become the nation’s second-largest political force, gaining from a backlash against the...