Germany says it’s open to Russia talks but rules out parallel diplomacy

BERLIN

Europeans are ready to talk with Russia, but they will not open “parallel channels of communication,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Friday.

Speaking to reporters during a visit to Abu Dhabi, Merz said a French presidential envoy's visit to Moscow earlier this week had been closely coordinated with Germany.

“We've been discussing this for some time. We are, of course, always ready to hold talks with Russia,” Merz said, but underlined that US-led talks between Russia and Ukraine remain the primary negotiating track.

"If we can contribute to making these talks more successful, we will do so. But we will not open any parallel channels of communication," the chancellor said.

“We all have one goal: to see this war against Ukraine ended as quickly as possible, and the key to that lies in Moscow, and we’ll continue to support Ukraine,” he added.