‘You are not even in the game’ – Russian negotiator to Merz
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has made himself irrelevant to Ukraine peace negotiations after attempting to sabotage the talks and “warmongering,” senior Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev has said.
Dmitriev was responding to Merz’s alleged remarks about US efforts to settle the conflict, reportedly made during a call with European peers and Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky earlier this week.
According to a transcript leaked by Der Spiegel, Merz warned Zelensky to be careful because US negotiators “are playing games” with him and his European backers. The outlet said Merz was referring to US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who visited Moscow earlier this week to discuss Washington’s peace roadmap.
“Merz accuses the Americans of ‘playing games,’” Dmitriev wrote on X on Friday. “Dear Merz, you are not even in the game. You disqualified yourself by warmongering, peace sabotage, unrealistic proposals… stubborn stupidity.” Dmitriev added that instead of inserting himself into the peace process, Merz “should work on the domestic issues he ignores,” noting that the chancellor’s approval rating has been falling.
European leaders have been scrambling for a seat at the negotiating table after being blindsided by the US drafting a peace plan without their involvement, which, according to media leaks, favors Moscow in the eyes of Kiev’s backers.
Over the past few days, they reportedly tried to pressure Washington to revise key points. The leaked German call appeared to confirm that the EU leaders feel sidelined. Finnish President Alexander Stubb reportedly said, “we’re out, but we have to get in.”
Dmitriev is not the first to argue that Kiev’s European supporters have compromised their credibility as negotiators. Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov earlier said Brussels shut itself out of the process by refusing any contact with Moscow. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov argued that Europe has no place in the talks because it still seeks to use Kiev as a proxy to defeat Russia.
According to Ushakov, the US-Russia talks in Moscow were “constructive and useful,” but the sides have yet to agree on several key issues. After being briefed on the meeting, US President Donald Trump said his team believes Moscow wants to bring the conflict to a settlement. Both sides remain tight-lipped about the details.
