Overview

• Edgars Rinkēvičs said the 2021 stance of Poland and the Baltic states was correct, arguing Moscow sought to split the EU and was not prepared for genuine negotiations.
• He recalled Russia’s early 2021 troop build-up near Ukraine and noted ministers traveled to Kyiv to shape support programs as Minsk agreements faltered.
• Merkel told Hungarian outlet Partizán on October 3 that she and Emmanuel Macron pursued an EU-wide format for direct dialogue with Putin that Baltic states and Poland opposed.
• Baltic officials rejected any hint of shared responsibility for the war, with Estonia’s foreign minister Margus Tsahkna insisting only Russia is to blame and MP Marko Mihkelson condemning Merkel’s framing.
• Polish leaders criticized Merkel’s record on Russia, as foreign minister Radosław Sikorski cited Nord Stream and ex–prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki called her interview thoughtless, while former ambassador Marek Magierowski warned against misreading her words.