The European Union (EU) should "re-establish balance with our largest neighbor in Europe," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz declared, reversing his previous stance on contact with Russia.
Most EU member states have sought to isolate Russia since the Ukraine conflict escalated in February 2022. This approach has caused the EU to be excluded from peace talks initiated by US President Donald Trump last year.
In that context, some EU member states have recently called for the resumption of diplomatic relations with Moscow.
In a speech on January 14, Prime Minister Merz said: "If we succeed in the long term in finding balance with Russia, if there is peace... then we can confidently look towards the future after 2026.
In an interview with the Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper in June last year, Prime Minister Merz said that he would not call Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that such contacts with Moscow are useless.
The German Chancellor's clear change of position comes a few days after European Commission spokeswoman Paula Pinho declared that "clearly, at some point, there will have to be negotiations with President Putin".
Last month, French President Emmanuel Macron called for a resumption of discussions with Russia on the Ukraine conflict. He said: "I think that re-talking with President Vladimir Putin will become useful.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded by confirming that the Russian President is ready to dialogue with his French counterpart. However, he emphasized that any interaction with President Macron should not be used as an opportunity to "lecture", but instead should focus on "understanding each other's positions".
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni supports Macron's diplomatic moves towards Moscow. She said: "I believe it's time for Europe to talk to Russia.
Ms. Meloni proposed appointing an EU special envoy for Ukraine so that the bloc can be better represented at the negotiating table.
