Kreml: Putin has no contact with Merkel
Former Chancellor Merkel's Russia policy is being critically reviewed. She met with Putin, the head of the Kremlin, dozens of times during her tenure. However, there has reportedly been silence between the two for a long time now - even on Merkel's birthday.
According to a spokesperson, Russian President Vladimir Putin has no contact with former Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel. He did not send her a greeting for her 70th birthday either. A greeting was not planned, Kreml spokesman Dmitri Peskov said in Moscow.
Their last phone call was before Merkel's resignation at the end of 2021. "There has been no contact in recent years," Peskow told the state news agency TASS. During her tenure from 2005 to 2021, Merkel met Putin approximately 30 times, according to her own statements. She harbored mistrust towards the former agent of the Soviet secret service KGB. At the same time, she tried to bring Putin into international politics and work together to solve problems.
Critics accuse Merkel of pushing forward Germany's economic ties with Russia, even as Putin's aggressive actions against Ukraine, which became apparent with the annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014, were clear. Merkel condemned Russia's aggression against Ukraine in 2022. At the same time, she said she should not be blamed for not trying hard enough.
Despite the strained relations, Merkel frequently engaged in politics with Russia, having numerous meetings with Putin in Berlin and the Kremlin during her tenure as Chancellor. Putin, however, did not send a birthday greeting to Merkel when she turned 70, as reported by Dmitri Peskov, the spokesperson for the Russian President. This marked a significant shift in their communication, with no contact between the two leaders reported in recent years.
