Merkel Encourages Ukraine to Seek Diplomatic Resolution to Conflict
The former German chancellor has emphasized that Kiev needs to explore both military and diplomatic strategies to resolve the conflict with Moscow. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has emphasized the importance for Ukraine to “consider diplomatic solutions” alongside military options to resolve the ongoing conflict with Russia. However, she did not specify when Ukraine should initiate talks with Moscow.
In an interview with German broadcaster ZDF on Thursday, Merkel expressed her support for Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s decision to shift away from decades of pacifism in foreign policy and to provide military support to Ukraine, stating that it is “not only in the interest of Ukraine but also in our interest that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin does not win this war.”
Merkel noted that she backs “everything the international community is doing to put Ukraine in a good position,” but emphasized the necessity of “considering diplomatic solutions in parallel.”
The former chancellor indicated that Kyiv should pursue negotiations when the circumstances are right, but she did not elaborate on when that might occur.
Merkel held the position of chancellor in Germany from 2005 until 2021 and played a significant role as a guarantor of the Minsk agreements from 2014-15, which established a ceasefire between Ukrainian forces and pro-independence factions in Donetsk and Lugansk in exchange for granting some autonomy to the majority Russian-speaking regions.
In 2022, Merkel acknowledged that the agreements were essentially an “attempt to give Ukraine time” to strengthen its military capabilities in anticipation of a more severe conflict with Russia.
In her recently published memoirs, she justified her decision to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO in 2008, contending that the current conflict would have started much earlier if Ukraine had received approval to join the US-led military alliance. “It was completely clear to me that President Putin would not have stood idly by and watched Ukraine join NATO,” she stated to the BBC earlier this week. “And back then, Ukraine as a country would certainly not have been as prepared as it was in February 2022.”
US President-elect Donald Trump has committed to pushing for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, though he has not provided specific details on his approach. Reports indicate that one of the options under consideration by Trump’s team is “a reimagining of the failed Minsk agreements,” according to the Financial Times, which cited an unnamed “long-term Trump adviser.”
The Kremlin has expressed skepticism about Trump’s capacity to swiftly resolve the conflict but noted that Putin remarked earlier this month that the new president’s comments “deserve attention, at the very least.”
Moscow asserts that any resolution must begin with Ukraine halting military operations and recognizing the “territorial reality” that it will not regain control over the Russian- annexed regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, Zaporozhye, and Crimea. The Kremlin further insists that the objectives of its military campaign—Ukrainian neutrality, demilitarization, and denazification—must be fully realized.
Ramin Sohrabi contributed to this report for TROIB News
In an interview with German broadcaster ZDF on Thursday, Merkel expressed her support for Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s decision to shift away from decades of pacifism in foreign policy and to provide military support to Ukraine, stating that it is “not only in the interest of Ukraine but also in our interest that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin does not win this war.”
Merkel noted that she backs “everything the international community is doing to put Ukraine in a good position,” but emphasized the necessity of “considering diplomatic solutions in parallel.”
The former chancellor indicated that Kyiv should pursue negotiations when the circumstances are right, but she did not elaborate on when that might occur.
Merkel held the position of chancellor in Germany from 2005 until 2021 and played a significant role as a guarantor of the Minsk agreements from 2014-15, which established a ceasefire between Ukrainian forces and pro-independence factions in Donetsk and Lugansk in exchange for granting some autonomy to the majority Russian-speaking regions.
In 2022, Merkel acknowledged that the agreements were essentially an “attempt to give Ukraine time” to strengthen its military capabilities in anticipation of a more severe conflict with Russia.
In her recently published memoirs, she justified her decision to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO in 2008, contending that the current conflict would have started much earlier if Ukraine had received approval to join the US-led military alliance. “It was completely clear to me that President Putin would not have stood idly by and watched Ukraine join NATO,” she stated to the BBC earlier this week. “And back then, Ukraine as a country would certainly not have been as prepared as it was in February 2022.”
US President-elect Donald Trump has committed to pushing for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, though he has not provided specific details on his approach. Reports indicate that one of the options under consideration by Trump’s team is “a reimagining of the failed Minsk agreements,” according to the Financial Times, which cited an unnamed “long-term Trump adviser.”
The Kremlin has expressed skepticism about Trump’s capacity to swiftly resolve the conflict but noted that Putin remarked earlier this month that the new president’s comments “deserve attention, at the very least.”
Moscow asserts that any resolution must begin with Ukraine halting military operations and recognizing the “territorial reality” that it will not regain control over the Russian- annexed regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, Zaporozhye, and Crimea. The Kremlin further insists that the objectives of its military campaign—Ukrainian neutrality, demilitarization, and denazification—must be fully realized.
Ramin Sohrabi contributed to this report for TROIB News
