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Angela Merkel said she was “saddened” by the fact that fellow EU leaders made her idea disappear for the blog to do. celebrates its first summit with Vladimir Putin since the 2014 annexation of Crimea by Russia. He showed, he said, that “we just don’t trust ourselves much.”
It was a faint outburst of frustration on the part of a politician recognized for his self-discipline and singing. Still, he highlighted the scars left by one Franco-German initiative this provoked strong emotions and little anger, even among Merkel’s closest allies.
The dispute collapsed one of the last EU summits of one of Europe’s oldest leaders. Merkel is due to resign this year after 16 years as chancellor, and this week’s heated discussions were not the smooth delivery many expected.
“He miscalculated the influence it could have,” said Ulrich Speck, principal investigator at the German Marshall Fund in the United States. “It was a sign that his power is waning.”
The EU-Russia summit was Merkel’s second failed foreign policy initiative this year. It was a big investment deal between the EU and China put on ice in March, the European Parliament after China sanctioned five MEPs. “Merkel is indeed a lame duck,” Speck said.
Merkel has shown, in her long experience with EU summits, mastery when it comes to reading the room and making sure the arguments are achieved. But this week, that approach has failed.
Visibly irritated, she rejected the suggestion by some EU states that she and Macron were making “free concessions” to Russia by pushing the idea of the summit. “I want to make it clear that these talks with the Russian president are not a kind of reward,” he said at a post-summit press conference.
For Merkel ‘s political opponents in Germany, the row highlighted the collateral damage caused by Nord Stream 2, the Berlin-backed pipeline that will carry Russian gas directly to Germany and which many believe increases Europe’s dependence on Russian energy.
“The problem is that thanks to NS2, Germany has lost all credibility as a representative of European interests,” said Franziska Brantner, spokeswoman for the Greens in Europe. “Some EU member states are really wondering if the German government is acting in the interests of Europe or only in German business.”
After the summit, Merkel explained what prompted her to push the idea of a summit in Russia, the main one being the show of Joe Biden meets directly with Putin in Geneva this month.
Given that the United States and Russia agreed on a framework for each other to “discuss all the controversial issues” of their relationship, Merkel said that “in these circumstances, it would make sense to find formats for the EU to talk to Russia as well.”
It was not, he insisted, a matter of a “new beginning” in EU-Russia relations, but of finding the best way to resolve the current conflicts.
“Even in the Cold War. . . we always had communication channels, “he said. Although countries like Germany and France continued to talk to the Kremlin, it made more sense for the EU to speak to Moscow with one voice, he said.
Diplomats said Merkel probably felt this week’s summit was her last chance to set a closer engagement course in the EU before she left the political arena.
And his initiative had the support of his junior coalition partner, the Social Democrats. “The EU must become a major player in security policy. . .[and]act as one of the international affairs, “SPD Finance Minister Olaf Scholz told FT.” And Russia must understand and accept EU integration. “
Nor was it entirely without EU support. While some leaders questioned offering a summit to Putin, given his worsening behavior, advocates said the downward spiral of Russian relations was one more reason for the EU to change direction.
The problem, diplomats say, was that the idea was raised by its proponents just a day before the summit. One described the gambit as “ill-prepared” and “something that came like lightning from a clear sky.”
It seems that Germany also underestimated the sensitivity of member states geographically close to Russia. The Baltic’s response was particularly strong, while some countries, such as the Netherlands, insisted they would not sit at the same table with Putin.
However, Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister and longtime ally of Merkel, said the chancellor’s gambit would not “in any way” tarnish his legacy.
“My position was, in fact, very close to the Franco-German proposal, but I could not accept an EU-27 meeting with Putin. It would be too much of a gift for him, “he told the Financial Times.
The audacity of the plan also jeopardized its possibilities. Russia has not withdrawn its forces from Crimea or eastern Ukraine while the assassination attempt took place Alexey Navalny, the leader of the Russian opposition, has further strained relations.
Still, this is far from the end of the story. The Czech Republic and the Netherlands have indicated that they do not necessarily oppose a summit between the presidents of the European Commission and the Council and Putin.
And Sanna Marin, Finland’s prime minister, said the issue was still unresolved. “Yesterday wasn’t the right time, but I think we’ll talk about it later.”
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