Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel criticized the European Union earlier this week for not using diplomacy to end the war in Ukraine, writes Politico.
Merkel said that the military support provided so far is the right thing to do, but that much more could be done: “I regret that Europe, in my opinion, is not using its diplomatic potential enough.” She added that it is not enough that only US President Donald Trump has contact with Russian dictator Putin.
Tensions are growing in Europe over the appointment of a special envoy for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Both Moscow and Kiev have indicated that they are open to the involvement of a European mediator at a time when Trump’s negotiators are focusing on the US and Israel’s war with Iran.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on the 18th of May that there were no plans to appoint a single person to speak for the bloc. He added that discussions on peace talks were taking place at the European level, as well as in a narrower circle, for example with France and Britain. Merz called for avoiding false hopes, and said that at present one can hope mainly for the possibility of creating a desire for Moscow to sit down at the negotiating table.
“Until the Russian government is ready to negotiate, we do not need to make any decisions on our side regarding representation,”
the German Chancellor stressed.
Merkel served as German Chancellor from 2005 to 2021. She noted that in October 2021, while still in office, she recommended to the European Council to establish diplomatic relations between Russia and the EU. Four months later, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Her recommendation has not been implemented, she said, because there are different opinions within the bloc on how to deal with Russia. Merkel said that work must continue until a common position is found, and that diplomacy has always been important.
Merkel’s political legacy has been much discussed in recent years. Germany’s dependence on Russian gas has increased during her term in office, and criticism of it has increased since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine. At the same time, Merkel’s experience in negotiations with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made her name a potential peace negotiator. The former politician said that her office had not received an official offer, and stressed that she believes that only those who currently hold power are worthy of consideration. She recalled talks with Putin after 2014, when Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimea. Merkel said: “We were only able to hold those [negotiations] with President Putin because we had political power, because we were heads of government. You need that power. And I, personally, would never have thought of asking a mediator to go to Minsk for me and talk to Putin … You have to take that into your own hands.”
The Minsk agreements, brokered by Merkel and France in 2014 and 2015, failed to bring lasting peace to Ukraine.
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