Diplomatic sources told the Financial Times this week that French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel were willing to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to a summit of European leaders. The two didn’t confirm the report.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday that the European Union had to create a “format for dialogue” with Russia and its President Vladimir Putin to settle differences.
“In my opinion, we as the European Union must also seek direct contact with Russia and the Russian president”, Merkel told the Bundestang.
She added that it was “not enough for the American president to talk to the Russian president”.
Meanwhile, the chancellor also said that the EU had to develop common mechanisms to be able to respond to Russia’s policies in tandem with one another, while standing against “provocations” from Moscow.
Merkel was the one willing to see President Putin at the summit of European leaders to steer the EU toward “closer engagement with Russia”, the Financial Times previously revealed, citing sources familiar with diplomatic discussions on the subject.
The reported call followed the Vladimir Putin-Joe Biden summit held in Geneva last week, as the two met to discuss bilateral relations between the two countries that have recently hit a low. Among the most profound topics of disagreement are the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which is set to bring 55 billion cubic metres of Russian gas to Germany each year, bypassing Ukraine. Washington believes that the project is threatening to European security as it gives Russia too much power in the region, despite Moscow’s assurances that it is purely economic in nature. Germany is adamant to keep the construction going.
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Content retrieved from: https://sputniknews.com/europe/202106241083229066-eu-must-create-a-format-for-dialogue-with-russia-to-settle-differences-merkel-says/.
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