Merkel and Macron meet opposition over proposed summit with Putin

Critics warned against giving Russia “free concessions” on Thursday as relations with the Kremlin continue to worsen.

Opposing states included the Baltic countries and Poland, which believed that plans to start a dialogue with Russia were futile until clear preconditions for an improvement in Moscow’s behaviour had been met.

Merkel, who together with Macron had proposed the summit just the day before, said discussion among the bloc's members were "not easy" and ended without an agreement.

“We defined again under what conditions we are prepared to work and communicate more closely with Russia. There was no agreement today on an immediate leaders’ meeting,” Merkel told reporters.

Germany's Chancellor added that the EU should seek “direct contact” with Russia, following the path of US President Joe Biden’s administration.

“It isn’t enough when US president Joe Biden speaks to the Russian president. I welcome it, but the EU must also create formats for dialogues. Otherwise, we won’t be able to solve conflicts,” she warned.

However, Krisjanis Karins, Latvia’s prime minister, cautioned against giving away too much to Putin.

“The Kremlin does not understand free concessions as a sign of strength,” he said. Poland’s prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki argued that dialogue should only happen if there was “actual de-escalation”.

EU summits with Russia were suspended after Moscow’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.