Most Germans want Merz to hold direct talks with Putin, poll reveals

2026-02-12 - 20:35

Nearly six in ten Germans believe Chancellor Friedrich Merz should hold direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a YouGov poll published Thursday. The survey, conducted for German news agency DPA, found 58 percent of respondents either support or strongly support such direct engagement between Berlin and Moscow. CDU base favors diplomacy Support for dialogue cuts across party lines, with 64 percent of voters from Merz's own Christian Democratic Union backing potential talks with Putin. Only 26 percent of all respondents opposed direct contact and favored a harder line against Russia. The findings suggest a significant gap between the German public's preference for active diplomacy and the chancellor's own publicly stated reservations. Merz's cautious stance Merz has previously expressed skepticism about direct engagement with the Kremlin, citing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's Moscow visit, after which, he noted, Kyiv came under heavy bombardment. While the chancellor has stated he supports all efforts aimed at ending the war, he has insisted that US-led negotiations between Russia and Ukraine remain the primary channel. "We will not open any parallel channels of communication," Merz said earlier this month, though he added that Europe is ready to contribute to making the main talks more successful. A public ahead of its leader The poll suggests German public opinion is increasingly open to diplomatic solutions, even as political leadership remains cautious about direct engagement with Moscow. With war fatigue growing across Europe and no military resolution in sight, pressure on Merz to align his policy with popular sentiment—including within his own party—is likely to intensify.