Merkel Suggests Poland and Other Countries Indirectly Ignited Russia-Ukraine War, Faces Harsh Criticism

According to the British newspaper ‘The Daily Telegraph’ on October 6, former German Chancellor Merkel implied that Poland and Baltic states bear some responsibility for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Merkel claimed that Poland and Baltic countries’ resistance to EU-led negotiations with Putin in 2021 indirectly led to Putin’s ‘aggressive behavior’ a year later. During a visit to Hungarian Prime Minister Orban, Merkel told Hungarian media outlet ‘Magyar Hírlap’: ‘In June 2021, I felt Putin was no longer taking the Minsk agreements seriously, so I wanted to establish a new format that would allow us to have direct talks with Putin on behalf of the EU.’ At the European Council meeting that month, Merkel and Macron proposed direct negotiations with other leaders to address Russia’s buildup near the Ukrainian border…