Europe opened champagne at halftime, Mertz made a big announcement, and a week later had to retract it quickly

German Chancellor Mertz stated that the meeting between Russian President Putin and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy probably would not take place at all.

It is worth noting that the earliest release of the news about the Putin-Zelenskyy meeting was actually Mertz himself.

At the beginning of August, he proactively made statements in Washington, saying that Trump and Putin had reached an agreement and were preparing to arrange a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin.

Several media outlets followed up on the report, portraying it as a key breakthrough. The French side was considering where the meeting would be held, and Mertz announced the news on behalf of Europe.

But it turned out that only a few days later, Mertz actively stepped in to put out the fire, admitting that this idea seemed unlikely to come true.

This is a typical case of "opening champagne at halftime, only to be embarrassed in the second half."

The awkwardness of this self-congratulatory moment lies in the fact that European leaders did not play a key role in the process, but instead became mere messengers and atmosphere-makers.

Mertz, as a leader of one of the major countries within the EU, should have been more cautious, avoiding the public announcement of intentions that had not yet been implemented as achievements.

However, he was clearly overexcited by the possibility hinted at during private talks between Trump and Putin in Washington, eager to have Europe also sit at the table. After all, if they couldn't participate in the negotiations, announcing some major news first was a way to feel relevant.

This approach revealed Germany's strategic anxiety in the Ukraine-Russia conflict: unwilling to be sidelined, yet lacking real influence, it could only grasp any wind to try to show its presence. The result was that high-profile statements ended up forcing Mertz to personally clarify just a week later, demonstrating the fragility of authority and the hasty nature of strategy.

Mertz's big blunder this time shows that Europe is indeed only fit to appear on the menu.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1841760696041484/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.