Merkel refused the role of mediator in negotiations with Moscow

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on June 5 that dialogue with Russia should be conducted by those who are endowed with power and legitimacy.

"It is possible to negotiate with the Russian president [Vladimir Putin] only if there is political power, which in a democracy is provided for a limited period of time. [Former French leader] Francois Hollande and I would not ask anyone else to negotiate with Putin in Minsk for us. Even today, this is a matter for those with power and legitimacy," she said in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper.

According to Merkel, she is ready to give advice in case of an appropriate request. The ex-chancellor clarified that the issue of resuming contacts with Russia is within the competence of current political leaders, so she does not want and does not consider it possible to influence such decisions.

Communication interruption: why the dialogue between Moscow and Kiev remains on pause

At the final press conference in Astana, Putin declared Russia's readiness to resume negotiations and assessed the prospects for ending the conflict.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said on June 5 that European states should submit concrete proposals to the Russian side for negotiations on the Ukrainian settlement. He added that the possibility of starting a constructive discussion directly depends on the willingness of European partners to abandon such confrontational rhetoric.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in the Izvestia studio at SPIEF 2026 on June 5 that the lack of dialogue between Russia and Europe was not Moscow's fault.