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Angela Merkel: On the stage in the Berliner Ensemble
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JOHN MACDOUGALL v AFP
Angela Merkel has sharply condemned the Russian attack on Ukraine.
"This is a brutal attack that violates international law, for which there are no excuses," said Merkel in an interview with SPIEGEL journalist Alexander Osang on the stage of the Berliner Ensemble (BE).
Even though her CDU party is now in the opposition, Merkel said she has foreign policy confidence in the traffic light coalition of her successor Olaf Scholz.
"I can't imagine not having confidence in the current federal government."
Since the end of her chancellorship at the beginning of December last year, Merkel had been very reserved with public statements and appearances - the appearance in Berlin was now expected with all the greater excitement.
The organizers – BE and Aufbau Verlag – had announced that Merkel would address “the challenging questions of our time” in discussions with Osang.
When Osang asked whether she could have done more or done something differently to prevent the war, Merkel said, "I don't blame myself."
However, she also stated: "It was not possible to create a security architecture that could have prevented this." At the same time, Merkel defended aspects of her policy that are now viewed critically - such as the Minsk Agreement.
“Could one have done more to prevent such a tragedy – I already consider this situation to be a great tragedy – could it have been prevented?
And that's why you ask yourself, and of course I keep asking myself these questions.«
Merkel said she had been concerned with the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union throughout her chancellorship.
In 2007, during a visit to Sochi, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the collapse was the greatest catastrophe of the 20th century.
She, in turn, replied that it was her greatest happiness because afterwards she had the freedom to do what she enjoyed.
Merkel definitely wants to avoid the impression that she is perceived as a kind of secondary chancellor when she makes public statements - she also hinted at this in conversation with Osang: "It is not my job to make comments from the sidelines." In view of the Russian attack on Ukraine and the consequences for international and German politics, however, the pressure on her to comment on her chancellorship's policy on Russia has grown.
Merkel commented in detail on the question of how she spent the time after her chancellorship.
She was at the Baltic Sea for five weeks, read a lot and explored the world of audio books - as an example she gave Shakespeare,
Merkel also commented on her future role and her self-image: If some now say: "Merkel now only makes feel-good appointments," said the ex-Chancellor, "then I say: yes!" For that, the ex-Chancellor got laughs from the audience - not the only time.
The motto of the event was »So what is my country?«.
Merkel raised this question in a widely acclaimed speech on the Day of German Unity in 2021.
Osang has portrayed the CDU politician several times for SPIEGEL, he is also an author at the Aufbau Verlag and, like Merkel, grew up in the former GDR.
The discussion in the Berliner Ensemble was Merkel's first real public appearance since the end of her chancellorship.
Last week she was the main speaker at a closed event to bid farewell to DGB boss Reiner Hoffmann (read more here).
In her speech, she called Russia's attack on Ukraine a blatant breach of international law and spoke of "many injured, tortured, killed" on the part of Ukraine.
She supports all efforts "to stop this barbaric war of aggression by Russia".
Before last week's appearance, Merkel had only appeared publicly at the award of the Federal Cross of Merit to her friend actor Ulrich Matthes in early May and in February as an elector in the Federal Assembly for the election of the head of state.