Merz argues that Putin should be at the negotiating table on Ukraine

O german Chancellor Friedrich Merz today argued that it was more important to bring Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table on Ukraine than to appoint a European emissary for the discussions.

“What matters is that Russia comes to the table and is willing to get involved in the discussions. Everything else will be added,” he said on arrival in Dublin for a European Political Community (EPC) summit, quoted by the French agency AFP.

Russia has criticised Europeans for not putting forward proposals for a solution to the war in Ukraine, which is negotiating in a tripartite format with Ukrainians and Americans.

Today, one of the deputy chiefs of Russian diplomacy, Sergei Riabkov, warned that the future inclusion of Europe in the negotiations could mean “a setback and an interruption of valuable efforts”.

Europeans “show no inclination to use common sense,” criticised Riabkov, who has the portfolio of relations with the United States in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Riabkov participated in the negotiations between Russia, Ukraine and the United States held this week in Abu Dhabi.