Merz: Germany and the EU Won't Follow the U.S. in Striking a Russian Diesel Deal

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said that Germany and the European Union do not intend to follow the United States and strike a deal with Russia on diesel supplies, according to the German magazine Der Spiegel. The stance means Europe will keep up pressure on Moscow even as Washington takes a different approach.

Merz stressed that such a decision is unacceptable for Germany and Europe. In his view, Russia will only negotiate seriously when under pressure, which is why existing sanctions will stay in place.

Response to the energy ceasefire

The chancellor said Russia answered U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal for an energy ceasefire with fresh strikes on Ukraine's civilian and energy infrastructure. Under these circumstances, Merz said, sanctions on Moscow must be tightened further, and Berlin will continue to support Kyiv.

Criticism inside Germany

Criticism of Trump's arrangement with Russia is not limited to Merz and his Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Green Party co-leader Franziska Brantner, quoted by Der Spiegel, accused the U.S. leadership of first starting a war against Iran without a discernible plan, driving up energy prices worldwide, and then making a deal with Putin to cushion the fallout before the U.S. midterm elections. She said it does not get more unscrupulous than that.

Merz's weak position

Merz himself is in a difficult position: his approval rating has hit a record low, and the CDU is losing regional elections. In the same speech criticizing the diesel deal, the chancellor again promised to cut the electricity tax for all German residents to the minimum allowed in the EU. His party made that pledge to voters before the February 2025 Bundestag elections but has yet to fulfill it.