Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel defended her performance in the post with respect to Russian President Vladimir Putin in her first major interview since leaving office.
Merkel said she had “no reason to apologize” for Russia’s response to Ukraine’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and backing sanctions against the Russians.
He also argued that he was against Ukraine joining NATO. Merkel is accused by some critics of leaving Germany vulnerable while maintaining trade relations with Russia.
Built to transport Russian gas directly to Germany, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline was built while he was chancellor and was suspended by his successor, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
Under pressure to impose new sanctions, Germany is struggling to reduce its dependence on Russian energy without harming its own economy.
But Merkel said Europe and Russia are neighbors that cannot be ignored. “We must find a way to live together despite all our differences,” she said.
He told German journalist and writer Alexander Osang in an interview published by publisher ARD that the invasion was “not only unacceptable, but a huge mistake on the part of Russia”.
“If we go back centuries and start debating which territory should belong to which country, then it’s just war,” he said. “This is not a viable option.”
He defended the sanctions imposed on Russia in response to the annexation of Crimea and Germany’s role in maintaining the Minsk peace process, which aimed to end the war in eastern Ukraine in 2014-15.
He argued that the peace process gave Ukraine time to develop as a nation and strengthen its military.
“I don’t need to blame myself for not trying hard enough,” he said. I don’t have to say “that was wrong” and so I have nothing to apologize for.”
He opposed Ukraine’s accession to NATO in 2008 because he wanted to avoid escalation of tensions with Russia, and Ukraine itself was not prepared for this. “It wasn’t the Ukraine we know today,” he said. “The country was not stable, it was full of corruption.”
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose country has remained outside the NATO alliance since the occupation despite the help of the West, described Germany’s 2008 decision as a “miscalculation”.
On Tuesday, Merkel, who stepped down six months ago, said she had “his greatest respect” for Zelensky and was impressed by the “courage and passion” that Ukrainians showed in fighting for their country.
source: Noticias
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