In an interview, Angela Merkel spoke at length about cooperation with Russia during her chancellorship. But you won’t hear any self-criticism from her, she emphasizes.
Munich – Since leaving the chancellery and active politics, Angela Merkel has been conspicuously reticent in public. The traffic light government should thank her, because valuable advice can also be addressed in other ways. However, some observers would like the former chancellor to be more involved, especially when it comes to Russia and the war in Ukraine.
Especially since her name is often mentioned when it comes to Germany’s dependence on Russian gas. Often combined with the accusation that this was the only way Vladimir Putin believed he was in a position to conquer Ukraine without the West taking action. Which he would have miscalculated, as the sanctions against Russia and the arms deliveries to Ukraine prove.
Merkel on the Ukraine war: “I wanted to prevent exactly that with my decisions at the time”
In an interview with the time Merkel now commented on her position in the conflict that had been smoldering for countless years and which escalated visibly for the world at the latest with the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Looking back, the former CDU chairwoman “comes to the conclusion that I made my decisions at the time in a way that I can understand today. It was an attempt to prevent just such a war. The fact that this was not successful does not mean that the attempts were wrong.”
In their eyes, the “introduction to NATO accession of Ukraine and Georgia discussed in 2008” was “wrong”. Her reason: “Neither did the countries have the necessary prerequisites for this, nor was it thought through to the end what the consequences of such a decision would have been, both with regard to Russia’s actions against Georgia and Ukraine and to NATO and its rules of assistance.”
Merkel defends Minsk accords: ‘Gave Ukraine time to get stronger’
On the other hand, Merkel defends the Minsk agreement of 2014 as an “attempt to give Ukraine time”. The country used this “to become stronger, as you can see today”. She cites the Russian conquest of the railway town of Debaltseve in Donbass in early 2015 within a day – this showed that Putin “could easily have overrun” Ukraine at the time. In her eyes, it is doubtful whether the NATO states “could have done as much as they do today to help Ukraine” at the time.
For Merkel, it was a frozen conflict. But it was important that “Ukraine was given valuable time”.
Video: Merkel reveals details of the last meeting with Putin
Former Chancellor Merkel: Nord Stream 2-Aus “would have dangerously worsened the climate with Russia”
Regarding the criticism of the Nord Stream 2 project, the 68-year-old points out that companies had applied for approval for the construction of the pipeline through the Baltic Sea and not just politics. “For the federal government and for me, it was ultimately a matter of deciding whether we would make a new law as a political act to expressly refuse the approval of Nord Stream 2,” stresses Merkel.
But that was out of the question for her, since “such a refusal in combination with the Minsk agreement would have, in my view, dangerously worsened the climate with Russia”. She also attributes the dependency to the fact that “there was less gas from the Netherlands, from Great Britain and limited production volumes in Norway”.
In Germany, too, the cross-party decision was made to produce less gas. An alternative to purchasing from Russia would have been “more expensive LNG from Qatar or Saudi Arabia”. But: “That would have significantly worsened our competitiveness.” It would therefore have been “a much more massive political decision”.
Merkel on dependency on Russia: “Should have reacted more quickly to aggressiveness”
At that time, Germany put itself in Putin’s hands, so to speak. From today’s perspective, a fatal decision. Merkel also made it clear in the interview that “the Cold War never really ended because Russia was basically not pacified.” The reaction to the Crimean attack was the exclusion from the G8 and the stationing of NATO troops in the Baltic States.
In addition, the alliance had decided to “spend two percent of the respective gross domestic product on defense” – which only the CDU and the CSU had accommodated in the government program. “But we too should have reacted more quickly to Russia’s aggressiveness,” said Merkel, at least here, self-critically.
She also praises the NATO double-track decision from 1979, because it relied on “retrofitting and diplomacy”. “Transferred to the two percent target, this means that we have not done enough for deterrence through higher defense spending,” concludes Merkel.
Merkel sees the end of the war through negotiations – and comments on self-criticism
She does not see an active part in relation to the Ukraine war for herself. When asked whether she could contribute something to its end, Merkel said: This question “does not arise”. And what will the end of the war look like? “Honestly, I do not know. He will end negotiations one day. Wars end at the negotiating table.”
Almost the whole world is looking forward to it. In contrast, public self-criticism from Merkel’s mouth is far more unrealistic. She explains it like this: “I had so many thoughts at the time! It would be downright a sign of inadequacy if, just to have some peace and without really thinking like that, I simply said: ‘Oh, that’s right, now I realize it too, that was wrong.’” (mg)
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