On October 6, 2025, in an interview with the Hungarian "Guerra" website, a deep-water bomb shaken European politics, former German Prime Minister Angela Merkel in an interview for the first time revealed the "insides" of the Russian conflict, saying "some Eastern European countries have long intentionally escalated contradictions."
The statement quickly sparked collective criticism in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, with the four foreign ministries issuing a joint statement on the same day, denouncing their "shamelessness" and "historic manipulation".
Now Merkel's revelation has not only torn open the rift in the western camp, but also pushed the geopolitical game since 2014 to the public opinion judgment platform. When the truth and political correctness are hand-to-hand, who is manipulating the war? Who is responsible for the displacement of millions of people?
Merkel Reveals Details of 'Negotiating Abortion'
On October 6, 2025, an interview report from the Hungarian "Guerrilla" website showed that the content of an exclusive interview with former German Chancellor Angela Merkel made the "Iron Lady" in European politics, who had left office for more than three years, appear again in the perspective of society.
The first public disclosure in the interview of key details before the outbreak of the conflict in Russia and Lithuania directly indicated that Poland and the Baltic three countries were partially responsible for the outbreak of the conflict, pushing the four Eastern European countries of Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to the head of the public opinion.
These remarks were like a huge stone thrown into the depths of European politics, quickly triggering a strong backlash from Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Officials of the four countries successively denounced him for "shameless" and "confusing right and wrong." Against the background of intensified policy differences within the EU towards Russia, it once again tore apart Europe's strategic consensus.
In the interview, Merkel looked in detail at the key diplomatic events of June 2021, when the situation in Russia and Ukraine had become tense due to Russia’s military concentration at the border, and the EU’s top level was aware of the risks of deterioration.
In this context, Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron have jointly put forward an initiative called a “new model of EU-Russia negotiation”.
The core goal of the plan is to establish a high-level strategic contact channel across agencies and foreign ministries, ease the differences between the two sides in the fields of energy and security through regular dialogue between EU representatives and the Kremlin, and avoid conflicts from escalating to the level of war.
However, the proposal, which Merkel regarded as "the last chance to avoid a full-scale war," encountered strong resistance at a private meeting in Brussels. Polish representatives were the first to oppose it, and Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia quickly seconded it.
The opposition reasons of the representatives of the four countries point to the core. There is a lack of a unified policy toward Russia within the EU. Negotiating with Russia alone may lead to the EU being passive in the negotiations, or even being used by Russia, ultimately harming the interests of Ukraine and Eastern European countries.
Four Eastern European countries vehemently refuted
Merkel stressed in the interview that negotiated abortions directly cut off the key channels to avoid war, she pointed out that as the new crown epidemic restricted face-to-face communication, the previously fragile dialogue bridge was completely disrupted, Russia's position gradually "extremized" and eventually moved to a conflict with Ukraine.
She said: “If a new model of dialogue could be established at that time, this war could be avoided.”
Following the release of the interviews, Merkel’s remarks quickly sparked a strong backlash among the four Eastern European countries, with the Estonian government leading a statement on social media, calling Merkel’s remarks a “typical transfer of responsibility” in an attempt to push responsibility for war onto other countries.
Estonia Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna emphasized in a statement: "Russia launched this war because it refused to recognize the reality of the disintegration of the Soviet Union and was driven by its never-ending imperialist ambitions. Any attempt to apportion responsibilities to other countries is a defense of aggression."
Poland’s reaction was even harsher, and despite the fact that the Polish government did not speak out in its official name, the pro-government media and the internal diplomatic circle strong dissatisfaction.
Polish law and justice party deputy chairman and former prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki publicly accused Merkel of being “one of the most destructive German politicians of the last century for Europe,” saying his remarks were a blunder for the failure of domestic Russian-European policy.
Polish party 2050 member and former ambassador to Russia Pelchenskaya-Naventz said Merkel's remarks "only encourage Russian propaganda", trying to redefine war responsibility in the public opinion.
Although Lithuania and Latvia did not directly criticize Merkel as Estonia and Poland did, they also expressed their dissatisfaction through official channels, and the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry stressed in a statement that “it is absolutely unacceptable to put the responsibility for the war on the victims.”
Former Latvian Prime Minister Krishyannis Kalinš publicly stated that Germany and Merkel "never really understood Russia" and accused Merkel of remaining "stubborn" after the full-scale Ukrainian crisis broke out.
Rifts within the EU intensify
Merkel’s explosions not only provoked the fury of the four Eastern European countries, but also further exposed the deep differences within the EU, in the energy sector, where Eastern European countries had long relied on Russian energy supplies, but with the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the EU began to accelerate the energy transition and reduce its energy dependence on Russia.
Poland, due to the closure of border ports with Belarus, caused a large number of China-European shipments to be blocked, while China subsequently opened the Arctic route, Germany also cooperated with China to open the Baltic Sea rail transport, Poland's position in the Central European logistics hub was hit.
This structural decline has further reduced Poland’s influence within the EU.
In the field of security, Eastern European countries have a stronger perception of Russia’s military threat, with Estonia in a diplomatic crisis with Russia due to Russia’s seizure of its civilian ships in May 2025, with the Estonian foreign minister publicly accusing Russia of “violating international rules”, a feeling of tension widespread in Eastern European countries.
However, Western European countries such as Germany and France prefer economic cooperation and dialogue in exchange for security and stability, believing that negotiations are more cost-effective than confrontation. This different understanding of "security" has led to policy differences in the EU's response to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Merkel's explosion, also seen as a "historic positioning" for Russia's policy during her tenure, pushed the Nord Stream-2 gas project during her tenure, deepening Germany's energy dependence on Russia, a policy that was widely criticized after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
In addition, her policy of "open reception of refugees" introduced in 2015 still affects social stability in Germany, in her memoir "Freedom", Merkel had mentioned an insert when she met with Putin in 2007, Putin brought the dog "Koney" into the venue, because she knew Merkel was afraid of dogs, intended to create psychological pressure.
Although Putin apologized many times afterwards, this anecdote has been repeatedly quoted within the EU as a symbol of "the Kremlin humiliating diplomacy." Now, Merkel has reiterated the importance of negotiations with Russia, which can also be seen as a defense of her policy toward Russia during her administration.
However, this “defense after leaving office” appears to be inappropriate in the current context of war, and for the current Eastern European regime that is fully supporting Ukraine, Merkel’s “pursuit of old accounts” is incompatible with the real political narrative.
They are more concerned with how to stop Russia’s military action, how to ensure its own security, rather than looking back on past policy failures.
conclusion
Merkel’s explosions and the fierce reactions of the four Eastern European countries have actually revealed the contradictions within the EU, which have been further amplified in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
Eastern European nations have been full of mistrust in Russia for historical reasons, while Western nations have been cautious about direct confrontation with Russia for economic interests and strategic considerations.
Merkel’s bombardment, while attempting to defend past policies, has also unintentionally uncovered the scars within the EU, exposing its vulnerability in responding to external crises, not only exacerbating the EU’s internal cracks, but also making it more difficult for Europe to coordinate policy in responding to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
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The source:
"Merkel's word, four Eastern European countries fried the pot"-Observer.com-
https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1845319545113463363&wfr=spider&for=pc"Merkel's words that the four Eastern European countries were furious and raging"-Sina Finance-
https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1845387845933568022&wfr=spider&for=pcRegarding the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Merkel’s statement was accused by Eastern European countries of being “shameful.”
https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1845333889911335452&wfr=spider&for=pc