The Federal Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, has declined a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as previous diplomatic contacts did not help to reduce tensions in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
Merz mentioned the negative consequences of previous attempts at dialogue with the Kremlin. For instance, he recalled the visit of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to Putin in July 2024 and the phone conversation of his predecessor Olaf Scholz with the Russian leader.
'The last visit of the Hungarian Prime Minister to Moscow was met with heavy bombings of Kyiv and hospitals. The last phone call with my predecessor was followed by bombing of a children's hospital. So if this is the result of such phone calls, I would refrain from them for a long time,' Merz said in an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung.
In turn, commenting on U.S. President Donald Trump's position regarding Putin, Merz emphasized the positive changes in relations with the White House. 'The U.S. President is showing increasing skepticism and becoming more critical. This is a process,' he noted. Merz also highlighted the importance of a coordinated sanctions policy between the U.S. and the European Union and the active discussion of the possibility of new sanctions against Russia in the U.S. Senate, the decision on which depends on Trump.
Macron called for a rearmament of Europe due to Russian aggression.
This news emphasizes that the Federal Chancellor of Germany refused phone conversations with Putin due to the unproductiveness of previous diplomatic contacts and the negative consequences of cooperation with the Kremlin. It also notes the increasing skepticism and critical attitude of the U.S. President towards Putin, which may affect the coordinated sanctions policy of the European Union and the United States.