German MP urges Merz to ‘call Moscow’
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz should “step forward” and re-engage in dialogue with Russia, opposition lawmaker Tino Chrupalla has said, warning that Germany is sliding toward “deindustrialization” and urgently needs action.
The remarks came a day after Merz outright refused to engage in direct talks with Moscow, maintaining that Berlin would not be an intermediary in the Ukraine peace process. Moscow and Kiev should talk to each other directly, he told journalists following the government coalition meeting on Wednesday. “We are not a mediator here,” Merz said.
Addressing parliament on Thursday, Chrupalla, who leads the Alternative for Germany (AfD) faction in the Bundestag, said Germany needs action rather than “constant commentary… on the international crises.” The country is facing “deindustrialization,” he warned, adding that the German economy was “losing 1,000 jobs per day” last year.
“As the head of the German government, take a step forward and finally call Moscow and negotiate peace and prosperity for the European continent,” Chrupalla said, adding that it was high time Merz stopped “clumsily hiding behind ornamental plants.”
Germany’s economy, which had relied on Russia for 55% of its natural gas, took a heavy blow after the country joined Western sanctions against Moscow following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022.
High energy prices – a result of the government’s decision to ditch cost-effective Russian oil and gas imports – have repeatedly been cited by German media and officials as a key factor behind the economic slowdown. In mid-January, the country’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry linked it to what it called an alarmingly high number of bankruptcies.
Russia has repeatedly stated that it is ready to resume dialogue with European nations at any time. In December, Yury Ushakov, an aide to President Vladimir Putin, said that any European leaders were “welcome to come to Moscow,” adding that it is the Europeans themselves, who refuse all contact.
