Vladimir Putin supposedly ready to talk to Merz – and meet with Selenskyj

Note: This article has been updated.

Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin has agreed to talk to Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) and even with the Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj – under certain conditions.

If Merz wanted to call and talk, then Russia was open to these contacts, Putin in St. Petersburg told the dpa news agency: “We are always open to it.”

With regard to his war of attack against Ukraine, the President said that Russia did not see Germany as neutral and therefore not as an intermediary in the conflict. Germany is on the side of Ukraine, deliver tanks to the country and are thus involved in the fighting.

At a meeting with representatives of large international news agencies, the Kremlin boss has been publicly commented on the Chancellor since his election in May. Merz has so far had no contact with Putin since taking office, but repeatedly asked the Kremlin chief in speeches and also in Kiev for a ceasefire in the Russian attack war against Ukraine – without success.

German-Russian relations are at the low point. Merz in particular is criticized in Moscow to be at confrontation with Russia. Russia is bothered by the arms deliveries to Ukraine and particularly warns of providing Kiev Taurus’s marching aircraft for attacks in Russian territory. Putin now said that German help had no influence on the course of fighting in Ukraine.

In the Russian war of attack, German politics faced the side of Ukraine; Moscow therefore classifies Germany as an enemy country. Wolodin claimed that Russia “did not take a single step against the interests of Germany”. However, he thus understood a whole series of actions for which Russia is held responsible: They range from the hacker attack on the Bundestag 2015, the murder of a Georgian by a Russian secret service in Berlin in Berlin, an arson attack on a cargo plane to the latest espionage files against the Bundeswehr.

Putin is also open to a meeting with the Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj. “I am ready to meet everyone – including with Selenskyj.” The question for Russia, however, is who ultimately signed the peace agreement.

Putin again doubled that Selenskyj had legitimacy for this because his five -year term of office last year had expired. The Ukrainian leadership, on the other hand, emphasizes that no elections should be held due to the law on war and that Selenskyj still has all power powers.

Putin also spoke out for a continuation of the direct negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv. The discussions held twice in Istanbul this year in Istanbul should continue after June 22nd. The recent meetings had brought results in humanitarian fields, said Putin – including the exchange of prisoners and fallen soldiers.

The traditional question and answer session Putin with western journalists took place on the first day of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (Spief) in the renovated conservatory of the metropolis. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskow said that Putin wanted to transport the Russian position as unfiltered as possible in conversation with Western news agencies.

Russia uses the forum to present itself to the world and to defy the international isolation sought by the West. In addition, the Spief is the scene of the bypass of sanctions against the raw material power. Moscow itself describes the punitive measures as illegal. Among other things, a business dialogue Russia-USA is scheduled after the rapprochement of both countries under US President Donald Trump.

According to the organizers, around 20,000 participants from 140 countries will be expected this year for the largest business event in the country until Saturday. Kremlin chief Putin keeps an economic policy speech this Friday – as every year – and answers questions on a panel.

Despite the restricted business contacts, many entrepreneurs and speakers from western countries visit the forum. Thanks to the war economy and raw material sales, Russia continues to grow comparatively high growth. However, the country is a lot of inflation and high key interest rate that makes investments expensive.