Germany and the European Union do not plan to follow the U.S. example and strike a deal with Russia for diesel supplies, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said, according to Der Spiegel.
Such a decision is unacceptable to Germany and Europe. Russia will only negotiate seriously under pressure, so we are maintaining our sanctions against it.
Merz said Russia had responded to Donald Trump’s proposal for an energy ceasefire with fresh strikes on Ukraine’s civilian and energy infrastructure. In these circumstances, he said, sanctions against Moscow must be tightened further, and Berlin will continue supporting Kyiv.
Criticism of Trump’s deal with Russia extends beyond Merz and his fellow Christian Democratic Union (CDU) members. “First start a war against Iran with no discernible plan, driving up energy prices worldwide — and then make a deal with Putin, who started the war, to cushion the fallout before the U.S. midterms — it doesn’t get more unscrupulous than that,” Der Spiegel quoted Green Party co-leader Franziska Brantner as saying.
Merz, meanwhile, is in an extremely weak position: His approval rating has hit a record low, and his CDU is losing regional elections.
In the same speech criticizing Trump’s diesel deal with Russia, Merz again promised to cut the electricity tax for all German residents to the minimum allowed in the EU. His party made that promise to voters before the February 2025 Bundestag elections but has yet to fulfill it.
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