In her first interview since leaving office as German chancellor, Angela Merkel refused to apologize for her relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Merkel is accused of having played a role in the current situation in Ukraine, because during her 16 years as German Chancellor, she comforted Russian President Vladimir Putin and did not put him under pressure.
In an interview with an audience at a Berlin theater, Merkel defended her use of diplomacy with Putin, even if the Russian leader eventually attacks Ukraine.
“I tried to prevent a catastrophe, and diplomacy is not the wrong choice, even if it does not work,” Merkel said.
“I do not think I’s right to say that diplomacy (with Putin) was wrong, so I do not apologize,” he said.
He described Putin’s attack as “a great mistake by Russia”.
“There is no excuse” for this “brutal” attack, he said, adding that it was “deeply unfortunate” that his efforts “did not succeed”, but added: “I do not blame myself for my efforts now.”
Merkel defended her policy of supporting trade with Russia, saying that Europe and Russia are neighbors who can not ignore each other.
The former chancellor also defended the 2015 peace agreement mediated by him and then-French President Francois Hollande in Minsk to reduce clashes in eastern Ukraine between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists.
However, Merkel acknowledged that sanctions against Russia over the annexation of Crimea in 2014 “could have been stronger”, but added that there was no sense of majority at the time.
Source: Lebanon Debate
