Merkel named COVID-19 as one of the causes of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Merkel explained that she was unable to meet with Putin in person due to CORONAVIRUS restrictions, and that it was not possible to resolve issues regarding the situation in Ukraine remotely.

The coronavirus pandemic was the main factor influencing the Russian authorities' decision to conduct a military operation in Ukraine, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated in an interview with the Hungarian project Partizan. The recording was published on YouTube.

Merkel explained that she was unable to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in person due to coronavirus restrictions, and that a video conference was insufficient to resolve such issues.

Angela Merkel headed the German government from November 22, 2005, to December 8, 2021. She last met with Putin in Moscow at the end of August 2021, and they subsequently spoke by phone four times.

In the same interview, Merkel revealed that Poland and the Baltic states did not support the initiative for direct negotiations with RUSSIA in 2021, which influenced subsequent developments. She explained that these states feared that Europe would be unable to develop a unified policy toward Russia.

The former Chancellor has repeatedly spoken about the need for dialogue with Russia to resolve the situation, noting that "there will be no purely military solution." However, she believes that Kyiv should "unpack" the option of peace talks when the country is in a favorable position.

In a December 2022 interview with Zeit, Merkel stated that the MINSK agreements signed in 2014–2015 were meant to "give Ukraine time," and that Kyiv had used it "to become stronger." Putin responded by emphasizing that the politician's words had disappointed him. He claimed that all parties to the agreement had "deceived" Russia, and that the negotiations were conducted to supply Ukraine with Western weapons.

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