German Chancellor rules out talks with Putin
Photo: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said he does not plan to hold phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin, citing the lack of results from previous contacts with the Russian leader, Deutsche Welle reports.
Merz referenced two examples — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s visit to Moscow in July 2024 and a phone call between his predecessor, Olaf Scholz, and Putin in November 2024.
"Hungarian Prime Minister's last visit to Moscow was met by Russia with heavy bombing of Kyiv and the hospital," Merz noted. "And after my predecessor’s last phone conversation with Putin, a children's hospital was bombed. So if that’s the result of such phone calls, I’ll avoid them for a long time," he said.
The Chancellor emphasized that he sees no signs of readiness from the Kremlin to de-escalate.
Merz was also asked about the attitude to US President Donald Trump. He said he sees "growing skepticism" from Trump toward Putin.
"The US President is showing increasing skepticism and becoming more critical. It’s a process," he added.
According to Merz, there is a clear understanding of the situation in Europe, and in his view, Trump is moving closer to that position.
He also noted that the US Senate is actively discussing new sanctions against Russia and that he is working to ensure coordinated action between the EU and the US.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz recently spoke about his relationship with President Donald Trump and his hopes regarding Ukraine.
He stated that Trump is gradually distancing himself from Russian leader Vladimir Putin. At the same time, Merz emphasized that economic sanctions against Russia remain a subject of debate in the United States, despite broad European support.
