Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday that Europe should make more diplomatic efforts to end the war Russia has unleashed in Ukraine. According to her, maintaining contacts with Moscow should not be left only to the American president Donald Trumpinforms TASR according to reports from the AFP agency and the Politico server.
“I think the military support we’ve given (Ukraine, note TASR) so far is absolutely right. I also think it’s right that we’re doing a lot more than just supporting Ukraine to create a deterrent effect.” Merkel told public television WDR.
“What I regret is that, in my opinion, Europe does not use its diplomatic potential enough,” she stated. According to her, in addition to military deterrence, diplomacy was also important during the Cold War. “Underestimating Putin would be a mistake, even now. And not having confidence would be an equally big mistake,” she said.
Merkel led the German federal government from 2005 to 2021 and faced criticism after leaving office. that she was too soft on Russia and made Germany dependent on Russian energy raw materials.
Pressure is currently growing on the European Union to appoint a special envoy for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Both Moscow and Kiev have signaled openness to such a mediator at a time when Trump’s negotiating team is focused on war against Iran.
Among the possible candidates, Merkel is mentioned because of her experience in negotiations with the presidents of Russia and Ukraine. The former chancellor stated that her office had not received a request in this regard. She herself is convinced that only people who are in power can be negotiators.
“We could have (talks) with President Putin only because we had political power, because we were heads of government,” she said in reference to negotiations following Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. “You need that power. And I personally would never think of asking an intermediary to go to Minsk for me and talk to Putin,” she added.
The Minsk agreements, brokered by Merkel and French President Francois Hollande in 2014 and 2015, were intended to stop the fighting in eastern Ukraine, but did not bring about a permanent ceasefire. Their violation lasted for years until the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
