Media: Majority of Germans in favour of talks between Merz and Putin

A large majority of Germans support direct talks between Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Russian President Vladimir Putin aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

In a YouGov poll commissioned by the German Press Agency (dpa), 58% of respondents said they would rather or even strongly favour such talks. Only 26% were opposed.

The desire for direct contact between Merz and Putin is particularly strong within the Chancellor’s own political camp. Among Union (CDU/CSU) voters, 64% support the idea, according to the survey. Support is lowest among Left Party (Die Linke) supporters, at 47%.

French President Emmanuel Macron has called for direct talks between European leaders and Putin, given the lack of success in previous US mediation efforts. Merz has expressed scepticism about this approach. He recently referred to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s visit to Moscow, noting that just days later, there were “the heaviest bombardments, including on a children’s hospital in Kyiv”.

“I do not want to hold talks that lead to such outcomes,” Merz said. “I want to support any talks that serve the goal of ending this war.”

Merz stressed that Europeans would only become involved in negotiations – if at all – in a coordinated manner with one another, as well as with Ukraine and the United States, and only if it would be helpful.

“But we will certainly not take uncoordinated individual steps that would lead to the opposite of what we all collectively want to achieve,” he emphasised.

By Aghakazim Guliyev