Merkel: EU needs to talk to Russia

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has criticized the European Union for not using its diplomatic influence to help end Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"I think the military support we have provided so far is absolutely right. I also think it is right that we do much more to create a deterrent effect, beyond our support for Ukraine. What I regret is that Europe, in my opinion, is not using its diplomatic potential enough," Merkel said in an interview with public broadcaster WDR. "It is not enough for Donald Trump to just maintain contact with Russia," she added.

Pressure is growing on Europe to appoint a special envoy for peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, reminds the "Politiko" portal, adding that both Moscow and Kiev have signaled openness to such a mediator at a time when Trump's negotiating team is fully focused on the US-Israeli war with Iran.

Merkel, who was German chancellor from 2005 to 2021, said that during her last European Council meeting in October 2021, at the end of her term - four months before the war in Ukraine began - she had proposed establishing a diplomatic format between the EU and Russia. However, she added that the attempt failed due to differing views within the bloc on how best to deal with Moscow.

“You have to keep working on it until you reach a common position,” she said, referring to differences within the bloc. “Diplomacy has always been the other side of the coin, even during the Cold War.”

Merkel's legacy has come under scrutiny in recent years over Germany's increased dependence on Russian gas during her tenure, and criticism has intensified since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine began four years ago.

However, her previous negotiating experience with both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky has also led to Merkel's name being mentioned as one of the possible candidates for the position of EU peace envoy to help resolve the conflict.

Merkel, however, said her cabinet had not received any official request to that effect, Politiko reports. She also stressed that she believes only those in power are credible negotiators, recalling her experiences with Putin after his illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014.

"We were only able to conduct these negotiations with President Putin because we had political power, because we were heads of government," Merkel said. "You need that power. And I personally would never think of asking a mediator to go to Minsk and talk to Putin instead of me... You have to take that into your own hands."

The Minsk agreements - reached in 2014 and 2015 to end fighting in eastern Ukraine - failed to secure a lasting ceasefire. Violations continued for years before the war broke out in 2022.