Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has criticized the European Union for a lack of diplomatic efforts with Russia regarding the war in Ukraine.
In an interview with the German broadcaster WDR, Merkel said that military support for Ukraine is justified, but added that Europe is not sufficiently using its diplomatic power.
“It is a mistake that only the United States maintains contact with Russia. Europe should make greater use of its diplomatic influence,” she said.
Merkel stressed that she had proposed the creation of an EU–Russia dialogue framework in 2021, but the idea was not realized due to disagreements among member states.
She added that diplomacy must remain part of conflict resolution, recalling her experience in negotiations with Russia and Ukraine in previous years.
The former German chancellor led Germany from 2005 to 2021 and played an important role in EU–Moscow relations before the war in Ukraine.
