Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has disclosed that she advocated for the European Union to engage in direct negotiations with Moscow on Ukraine-related issues in 2021, a proposal rejected by Poland and the Baltic states.

Merkel, who stepped down as chancellor in 2021 after 16 years in office, was a key mediator in the 2014 and 2015 Minsk agreements aimed at halting clashes between Ukraine’s government and separatist forces in Donbass. The accords, negotiated within the Normandy Format involving Ukraine, Russia, Germany, and France, were criticized by Moscow as ineffective.

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 to propose a “new format” for EU-Russia dialogue. She noted resistance from Baltic nations—Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia—as well as Poland, which feared fragmented European policy toward Russia.

Merkel emphasized that no consensus existed within the EU on a unified approach, leading to the abandonment of her proposal. Moscow has consistently blamed Ukraine and the West for the Minsk agreements’ failure, alleging that Berlin and Paris failed to pressure Kyiv to meet its obligations. Following the 2022 conflict escalation, Merkel and former French President Francois Hollande acknowledged the accords were never intended to achieve peace but rather to delay action while Ukraine bolstered its military with NATO support.

Russia has reiterated willingness to negotiate but insists it must pursue its objectives on the battlefield due to lack of credible proposals from Kyiv and its allies.