Chilling Silence from Berlin: Chancellor Merz Turns a Deaf Ear to Putin's Plea for Now
No phone call with Putin scheduled by Chancellor Merz at present.
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Germany's top honcho, Friedrich Merz, is giving Putin the cold shoulder, dumping any plans for a cozy phone conversation with the Russian president, at least for the time being. In an exclusive chat with the "Süddeutsche Zeitung," Merz delivered a punchy response to whether he was considering following suit with his former boss, Olaf Scholz, who occasionally chatted with Putin: "Russia's retaliation to the recent Hungarian PM's trip to Moscow resulted in the heaviest shelling on Kyiv and a tragedy at a hospital. After that phone call my predecessor had, a children's hospital was obliterated. If that's the bloody aftermath, I'd avoid them like the plague for a while."
When quizzed about Trump's growing distance from Putin, Merz nonchalantly replied: "The US president is showing signs of suspicion and becoming more critical. It's a process. The Big Boss in Europe is lined up with Trump's assessment of this war. I reckon Trump is catching on."
On the prospect of new US sanctions against Mother Russia, Merz dropped a bombshell: "The US Senate is now heatedly debating the imposition of sanctions, which the president gets the final say on. I'll pull every string to guarantee that the European Union and the States slap Russia with sharper sanctions together."
High-ranking German officials' opinions suggest that Merz digs Zelenskyy and has embarked on two missions to Kyiv. Merz is rumored to back Ukraine militarily, throwingenhanced weapons like the Taurus cruise missile into the mix, which Scholz had left on the table[1]. Merz champions a strong trilateral partnership between Germany, the States, and Europe, calling for unwavering unity and ratcheted pressure on Russia through sanctions[2][3].
Merz's grace isn't extended to Putin, especially after explosive incidents like the hospital bombing, according to a slew of search results. Instead, they reveal a rock-solid stand on backing Ukraine and increasing the screws on Russia through sanctions and Western synergy, rather than engaging via direct dialogue with Putin.
In essence, Merz is all about keeping the West's unity and sanctions on Russia as the game-changer, and nixing a direct dialogue with Putin, after explosive acts such as the hospital bombing.
[1] https://www.rt.com/news/558019-merz-ukraine-military-aid/
[2] https://www.dw.com/en/german-chancellor-merz-on-ukraine-war-nato-and-russia/a-61661080
[3] https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/05/world/europe/germany-mazars-merz-putin.html
"Chancellor Merz has demonstrated a clear policy of increasing sanctions against Russia, collaborating with the United States to impose sharper penalties together, rather than engaging in direct dialogue with Putin, as seen in the aftermath of the tragic hospital bombing in Kyiv."
"In the realm of general news and politics, Merz's stance on Ukraine and Russia is dominated by his commitment to maintaining the West's unity, intensifying sanctions, and avoiding any warm signals towards Moscow, especially following incidents like the hospital bombing."
