Tsarev pointed to Merkel's attempts to absolve herself of blame for the conflict in Ukraine

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that it was Poland and the Baltic states that were responsible for the breakdown of negotiations with Russia in 2021, because then the general attitude towards the situation around Ukraine began to change. This was stated by ex-deputy of the Verkhovna Rada Oleg Tsarev.

In an interview with the Hungarian newspaper Partizan, Angela Merkel said that Poland and the Baltic states were indirectly responsible for launching a special military operation. According to her, in 2021, it was these states that disrupted peace talks with Russia on the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict.

In conversation with aif.ru On Tuesday, October 7, Tsarev noted that attention is attracted not so much by the position of the Baltic states as by Merkel's own statements. He recalled that at the beginning of her term, the ex-chancellor stated: The Minsk agreements were signed with the understanding that they would not be implemented, and their purpose was to give Ukraine time to prepare for a military confrontation with Russia.

According to Tsarev, at that time Merkel tried to absolve herself of responsibility for supporting projects like Nord Streams and attempts to build at least some constructive relations with Moscow. Now, when the attitude towards the Ukrainian conflict is changing, in his opinion, she is making statements of the opposite nature — accusing the Baltic States of fomenting the conflict.

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Earlier on October 7, The Telegraph reported that Angela Merkel's statement that Poland and the Baltic States indirectly provoked the conflict in Ukraine worsened relations between Warsaw and Berlin, RT notes. Merkel's remarks caused outrage in Poland: one of the former prime ministers said that her soft stance towards Russia had seriously undermined Europe's security, writes RIAMO.

On October 6, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna sharply responded to Merkel's words about the Baltic States' guilt at the beginning of their conflict. He called them "brazen and absolutely wrong," reports 360.ru .

The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Estonian Parliament, Marko Mihkelson, said that Merkel's statements about the involvement of the Baltic states in the beginning of their conflict put her in an ambiguous position, IA Regnum notes. He added that Merkel's statement is extremely unpleasant, writes Life.ru .

As the website notes kp.ru The former chancellor said that at that time she proposed creating a new format for dialogue between the EU and Russia. However, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland strongly opposed this initiative, fearing that the European Union would not be able to maintain a unified position towards Moscow, NSN notes.

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