By James Carstensen | June 29, 2021 | 9:36pm EDT German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Photo by Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images) Berlin (CNSNews.com) – Days after European leaders rejected a joint Franco-German suggestion that the E.U. reopen dialogue with Russia, German Chancellor Angela Merkel repeated the proposal, arguing that doing so would not be a concession but constitute presenting Moscow with a unified position. “The relationship between Russia and the European Union is really not good at the moment, but even during the Cold War, people talked to each other,” Merkel said a video conference with French Prime Minister Jean Castex. “So, I think silence is not conducive to solving the problems.”