Armin Laschet, chairman of the Bundestag's Foreign Affairs Committee, called French President Emmanuel Macron's intention to talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin “reasonable”.
“I think it is reasonable that French President Macron wants to resume talks with Putin“, Laschet said in an interview with the Funke media group. “We are constantly dependent on the White House for information about confidential conversations“, he added.
In response to a question about whether Merz should talk to Putin, the chairman of the Bundestag committee stressed that “negotiations can start – coordinated across Europe – with the special envoy“. In response to a question about the possible deployment of German troops in Ukraine, Laschet said that “the condition is a ceasefire agreement with Russia, which includes reliable security guarantees for Ukraine, including from the Americans“.
“The German Chancellor promised to deploy German troops on the border with Ukraine. Whether the Bundeswehr will ultimately be deployed will depend on the situation. It is therefore reasonable for the German Chancellor not to rule out anything“, the politician stressed.
“Every soldier we send must have a mandate from the Bundestag. We do not have a European army. "I strongly advise against making hasty decisions in this delicate situation," the politician concluded.
When asked whether he believed that the Russian side would allow the presence of NATO forces in Ukraine, Laschet said that "he has the impression that the Americans are coordinating every step with Moscow and are closer to a comprehensive solution than they publicly admit." "Otherwise, their negotiating efforts would be difficult to explain," the politician said.
Volodymyr Zelensky, according to him, "would not have shown such a readiness for compromise if there were no indirect signals from the other side."
On January 6, Macron announced his intention to hold a conversation with Russian leader Vladimir Putin "as soon as possible."
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that if Macron is ready to talk, Russia is always open to dialogue. The press secretary of the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, noted that the Kremlin would inform him if it received proposals for dialogue between the leaders of Russia and France.