Merkel: Poland, Baltics share blame for Ukraine invasion

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has suggested Poland and Baltic states bear partial responsibility for Russia's invasion of Ukraine due to their opposition to 2021 EU-led negotiations with Vladimir Putin.

In an interview with Hungarian outlet Partizan while visiting Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Merkel stated that Baltic and Polish resistance to her proposed direct EU negotiations with Putin in June 2021 indirectly contributed to Russian "aggression" the following year.

"Not everyone supported this, above all the Baltic states, but Poland was also against it," Merkel said, noting these countries feared lacking EU consensus on handling Russia. She added that the COVID-19 pandemic limited essential face-to-face negotiations that might have produced compromises.

The comments have sparked Polish anger, with former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki calling Merkel "among the most harmful German politicians to Europe in the last century." The remarks come amid existing Germany-Poland tensions over border security and migration policies.

Merkel made the statements while promoting her memoir "Freedom," which addresses controversial policies including German reliance on Russian gas and her 2015 refugee policy.