Overview

• Angela Merkel said in a Partizán interview that Poland and the Baltic states opposed an EU format for direct talks with Vladimir Putin in 2021 that she and Emmanuel Macron sought to launch.
• She argued Minsk II was flawed yet bought Ukraine time to strengthen between 2015 and 2021, and she cited COVID‑era limits on in‑person meetings as deepening estrangement with Moscow.
• Polish and Baltic officials condemned her remarks as offensive or revisionist, with Estonia’s Margus Tsahkna calling them wrong and Latvia’s Artis Pabriks saying they echo Kremlin narratives.
• Critics in the region also pointed to Germany’s past energy ties, including Nord Stream, as evidence Western capitals underestimated Russian risks, while Merkel’s office said her comments are not new.
• Coverage noted she did not explicitly assign blame for the 2022 invasion, yet her account—published in full on YouTube during a Hungary trip to promote her memoir—has revived the engagement‑versus‑deterrence debate in Europe.