Refugee summit: Angela Merkel claims of a 'breakthrough' met with widespread scepticism in Germany

The leftist Die Linke party said the outcome was 'blackmail' by Turkey

German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks to supporters at a campaign rally in Nuertingen (Getty Images)

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s claim of a “breakthrough” at the refugee summit has been met with widespread scepticism in Germany despite her hopes that the outcome would save her party from disaster in key regional elections this weekend.

While many in her government hailed the result as a promising shift towards an agreement, and Ms Merkel described the result as a “quantitative step forward”, opposition parties were less enthusiastic. The leftist Die Linke party said the outcome was “blackmail” by Turkey.

Several German media outlets asked how Europe’s current unwillingness to take in refugees could be reversed. “So far there has been little hope of this,” remarked Der Spiegel.

Ms Merkel’s party is on course to suffer badly at elections in three German states on Sunday, at the hands of the xenophobic Alternative for Germany party which opposes her refugee policies.