Mikhail Podolyak, a chief adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, challenged former German Chancellor Angela Merkel after she said she aimed to prevent a clash between Moscow and Kiev.
“If you can’t right the wrongs of the past, stop making excuses,” he wrote on social media.
The adviser also argued that Europe’s dependence on Russian energy and years of buying gas at low prices left Ukraine bearing the consequences of a protracted conflict. He suggested that Merkel’s call for talks rings hollow in light of Ukraine’s heavy losses and the destruction of critical infrastructure.
“Negotiations about what exactly? — about cheap gas from Russia again?” the counselor quipped.
“Certainly”
On April 29, Die Zeit published a substantial piece about Merkel and her efforts to avert war between Russia and Ukraine. Merkel asserted that she had tried every possible means to prevent the escalation.
“I used everything I could to prevent this situation,” she emphasized. “Just because nothing works doesn’t mean it’s wrong to try. Diplomacy is a necessity.”
Merkel viewed the Minsk process as a reasonable step toward resolving the fighting in eastern Ukraine. She also noted that Kyiv did not initially see Minsk as a viable path. President Volodymyr Zelensky later questioned the agreements reached during the election campaign, signaling shifting perspectives on their practicality.
When asked how Merkel believed the conflict might end, she declined to comment further, underscoring a preference for peaceful negotiation and the creation of favorable conditions.
“It mattered to me, and I always tried hard to avoid narrowing our horizons,” he concluded.
The Impossibility of Minsk
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Spiegel that he had paused the Minsk agreements and would not fully implement them.
“I did not see Minsk as Ukraine’s desire to surrender its independence. I understand the Western perspective: first and foremost, some powers wanted to satisfy certain Russian aims at Ukraine’s expense,” Zelensky explained.
Petro Poroshenko, the former Ukrainian president who oversaw the signing of the Minsk accords, echoed a similar sentiment. The Minsk framework, negotiated by the Tripartite Contact Group including representatives from Ukraine, Russia and the OSCE, comprised thirteen articles. It called for the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the contact line and the continuation of political processes, including discussions on the special status for certain districts in Kyiv, Donetsk, and Luhansk, and the holding of local elections.
The passage of time has seen debate over whether Minsk provided a viable path to peace or merely bought Ukraine a pause before renewed conflict. The discussion continues to shape policy and public opinion on how to end the war in eastern Ukraine and what concessions, if any, should be pursued in future negotiations. ]