German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday defended the idea of holding a European Union meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, arguing that it would offer an opportunity to confront Putin with European concerns.
The idea was rejected last week by eastern EU members.
At a summit on Friday, EU leaders agreed only to “explore formats and conditionalities of dialogue with Russia.” There was no mention of any high-level meetings or plans for a summit with Putin, an idea that Germany and France had pushed. The outcome reflected deep divisions in the 27-nation EU''s approach to Moscow.
The EU is concerned that Putin is turning increasingly authoritarian and wants to distance himself from the West. Both it and the NATO military alliance are struggling to bring Russia back to the table. U.S. President Joe Biden's meeting with Putin this month was a rare exception.
“The concern was that we perhaps wouldn''t be able to put up a united front, (and) such a summit of course requires very intensive preparation,”
Merkel said at a question-and-answer session with German and French lawmakers. She said it would allow Europeans to “address all the questions that weigh on us and also those on which we want to cooperate.”