"Doesn't mean it was wrong": Merkel defends her position on Putin - but admits NATO mistakes
Created: 12/28/2022, 12:41 p.m
By: Astrid Theil
Forced collaboration?
According to Angela Merkel, projects like Nord Stream 2 were more of a compromise in favor of Vladimir Putin.
© IMAGO / Russian Look
Angela Merkel's Russia policy has been criticized since the outbreak of the Ukraine war.
The former chancellor defends her policy again.
She doesn't want to mediate at the moment.
Berlin - Could Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine have been prevented?
A look into the past raises questions of political responsibility and guilt.
Angela Merkel's role and her Russia policy are also being criticized - sometimes even in her CDU.
In an interview with the Italian newspaper
Corriere della Sera
, the former Chancellor once again defended her actions towards Russia during her term in office.
"I come to the conclusion that I made my decisions at the time according to a logic that still seems reasonable to me," she told the newspaper.
Your Russia policy was an attempt to prevent a war.
"The fact that it didn't work does not mean that it was wrong to try," emphasized Merkel.
Acting Chancellor Merkel: "The only language Putin understands is violence"
The former Chancellor complained that too little attention was paid to the context in the debate about responsibility for the war.
During her tenure, the political room for maneuver was not great.
The initiation of a possible NATO membership of Ukraine and Georgia, which was discussed in 2008, was wrong: "The two countries did not meet the requirements, and no one even thought about what consequences such a decision would have on Russia's reaction to Georgia and Ukraine as well as for NATO and its aid rules," Merkel said.
She also questioned whether NATO could have done much to help Ukraine earlier.
The Minsk agreements as a political attempt to settle the Ukraine conflict in 2014 were an attempt to give Ukraine time.
And Ukraine made use of this time: it is now in a completely different position than it was in 2014. During her first public appearance as former chancellor, Merkel emphasized that she had already recognized in 2007 what Putin thought of Europe and that the only language he could speak understand, violence is.
Nevertheless, Germany remained dependent on Russian gas.
Russia policy under Merkel: "We all knew that the conflict was frozen"
"We all knew that the conflict was frozen, that the problem was not solved, but that gave Ukraine valuable time," Merkel told
Corriere
.
They justified the approval of the construction of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline in the context of the politics of the time.
A refusal to build the natural gas pipeline between Russia and Germany in connection with the Minsk agreements would have meant a deterioration in relations with Russia.
At the same time, the supply from other countries such as Holland and Great Britain has decreased and the quantities mined in Norway have been limited.
The phasing out of nuclear energy and the decision to produce less gas in Germany also contributed to the decision in favor of Nord Stream 2.
Although liquefied natural gas could have been obtained from Qatar or Saudi Arabia at high cost, that would have “clearly impaired” German competitiveness.
"Today we are acting under the pressure of war, which I approve of. Back then it would have been a much more difficult political decision," Merkel summed up.
Self-criticism: "We too should have reacted more quickly to the Russian aggression"
When asked whether the construction of Nord Stream 2 should have been prevented, the former Chancellor answered categorically "No".
Among other things, because there was no consensus on this.
Angela Merkel rejected self-criticism for the sake of self-criticism: “I thought it was too easy to be self-critical just because it was expected of me”.
It is much more important for her to consider the broader context of Russia's politics.
In her view, the Cold War never really ended, "because in the end Russia was never liberated."
also read
Benedict "very ill": According to the Vatican, his condition has deteriorated
READ
Putin's soldiers fleeing in fear of death?
Ukraine reports wave of Russian desertions in Luhansk
READ
"I'm a bit ashamed": 10,171 euros back payment for civil servants
READ
Lavrov's spokeswoman mocks Ukraine's demand: "The dogs are barking" - Baerbock warns
READ
Macabre "special offer" from Putin?
According to insiders, Russian recruits can go to the sperm bank for free
READ
Fancy a voyage of discovery?
My space
She cites the period since 2014 as an example: “When Putin invaded Crimea in 2014, he was expelled from the G8.
In addition, NATO has deployed troops to the Baltic region to show it is ready to intervene."
The German government has also decided to spend two percent of gross domestic product on defense.
In the end, however, she self-critically argued: "We too should have reacted more quickly to the Russian aggression".
Germany, for example, has not reached the target of two percent for defense spending.
"I didn't work every day to support this cause either," Merkel said.
(at)