Merz Says a German Chancellor Must Talk to Putin at Some Point; Kremlin Says Putin Is Open to Contact
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said at a Westfalenpost citizens' dialogue in Hagen that a German chancellor must, at some point, also talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin. It was his first public openness since taking office to speaking with Putin face to face, but it was a statement of willingness, not a scheduled bilateral meeting.
Asked whether a conversation could happen in December, Merz said that was "not ruled out." If Putin is there, he said, he would not shy away from an opportunity for a conversation, and in politics one has to talk with people who hold completely different opinions. He was referring to the December G20 summit in Miami, to which Donald Trump has invited Putin; Putin has not confirmed he will attend. Merz and Putin have had no separate meeting or phone call.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded on November 11 via TASS that Putin is open to contact with Europeans, including Merz, and that whether Putin will attend the G20 summit has not been decided.
The remark does not amount to a shift in Germany's stance toward Russia. Standing with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin on November 3, Merz had just said Russia was not yet seriously negotiating a ceasefire and that Europe must be present; if the G20 discusses Ukraine, Zelensky must be at the table, and it would be completely unacceptable for third countries to discuss Ukraine's future without Ukraine.
Source: Westfalenpost
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：德国总理默茨（资料图）。图：芬兰政府，CC BY 2.0，经维基共享资源 / German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (file photo). Photo by the Finnish Government, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
