Friedrich Merz plunged straight into international crises on his first full day as Germany’s new chancellor Wednesday, urging India and Pakistan to de-escalate their tensions, vowing support for Ukraine and announcing plans to travel to Kyiv soon.

Center-right politician Friedrich Merz was elected as German chancellor Tuesday in a second vote just hours after his historic defeat in a bid to lead the country.

Friedrich Merz has won parliament’s backing to become Germany’s chancellor at the second attempt after a surprise failure dealt an early blow to his authority.