Djoomart Otorbaev, former Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic, wrote on Linkedin that although Merkel is hypocritical (Nobody could have stopped France and Germany, if they really wanted a dialogue with Moscow), however she must be credited for calling for a dialogue now. “Merkel has dared to break Europe’s greatest taboo: she is calling—again—for dialogue with Russia. Not as an endorsement of Moscow’s policies, but as the only realistic path to ending the bloodshed.”