Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel believes that negotiations with the illegitimate president of the aggressor country of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, are possible only if there is real political power and an official mandate. She said this in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, published on June 5.
According to her, it is the current leaders of states who should conduct such contacts, and not intermediaries who do not represent the official position of the government.
Merkel stressed that she sees no point in transferring negotiations with Russia to third parties. She noted that during the period of the Minsk agreements, negotiations were conducted directly by state leaders, and this approach, in her opinion, remains relevant today.
The ex-chancellor added that she considers it insufficient for contacts with Russia to be carried out exclusively by the United States of America. She said that the European Union should also participate in the formation of a diplomatic dialogue with Moscow, since this directly concerns European interests.
Merkel said that although she is not an active politician, she sometimes shares advice if asked. According to her, such requests do happen, but she did not specify from whom exactly they come.
