Minsk: diplomacy or sabotage? Merkel versus Lavrov

Two retrospective accounts of Minsk, recorded four years apart. Angela Merkel, speaking to Alexander Osang on June 7, 2022, says the agreement brought limited calm, received EU and UN backing, and gave Ukraine seven years to develop. Sergey Lavrov, speaking at his UN press conference on September 26, 2026, stresses Security Council endorsement and accuses Petro Poroshenko and Volodymyr Zelenskyy of sabotaging the agreements. These are the speakers' assessments and accusations. Merkel's excerpt does not state that she deliberately deceived Russia. The clips are a comparison of their positions, not a direct exchange.

Jun 7, 2022

At the June 7 Berliner Ensemble interview, Merkel says she left office voluntarily and is adjusting well to a life with more exercise, reading and travel. She trusts the Scholz government and considers sixteen years enough, with new political ideas and leadership needed. She accepts responsibility for explaining past decisions but does not see her new role as commenting from the sidelines on every current issue. She intends to choose activities that serve the country and interest her. Responding to Osang's account of Ukrainian ambassador Andrij Melnyk's criticism of her Italian holiday, she expresses respect for Ukraine's leaders while defending her right to travel after leaving office and saying she neglected no official duty.