Merkel: I tried to stop the invasion of Ukraine, I knew what Putin was doing ᐉ News from Fakti.bg – World

Since Angela Merkel left the chancellorship in December 2021, she has been somewhat lost.

The former chancellor of Germany and the undisputed leader of Europe for 16 years has received criticism since the start of the war in Ukraine. The accusations against her focus in particular on how she failed to see Vladimir Putin’s hegemonic and belligerent goals in time, choosing instead to draw them in with negotiations and concessions. Moreover, in order to guarantee successful elections and not to upset the Germans, she avoided inconvenient but necessary reforms of the German model, which once again became the “big sick man in the Region” Europe”.

“To me, power is the ability to shape something. To have a majority, to make decisions that leave a mark with the people who received their orders. Always try to build a majority, unite them, find a compromise. This is power,” said Angela Merkel in an interview with the Italian publication Corriere della Sera.

“I knew very well the intentions of President Putin. He expressed them constantly in public and private conversations. I knew many of his goals and I knew that we were not dealing with a European friend. My answer was not to do any more relations with Putin, but to try to prevent the invasion of Ukraine through discussions, sometimes very controversial. It worked for a while. “With the beginning of Russia’s war against Ukraine, the situation changed a lot,” said the former chancellor.

“What for me is the greatest joy in my life – the end of the Cold War, the fall of the wall, the reunification of Germany and the unity of Europe – for him it is associated with the greatest misfortune of the 20th century, the end. of the soviet union. This shows that our views were diametrically opposed to them. Putin tried to make Russia a great power again. But he didn’t do that on an economic level, through prosperity for all. Instead, he tried the techniques he had learned in the secret service, the KGB, through the military and Russian nationality. Therefore, the many hopes we had in 1990 that Russia would take the path of gradual democratization were not fulfilled,” Merkel continued.

Why did you not block the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project in 2015, a year after the annexation of Crimea?

“I wanted to make sure that the German economy could take advantage of the opportunity to get cheap gas. And we will see today what effect high energy costs will have on Germany. Also, for political reasons, I wanted to maintain economic relations with Russia so that this country would also have prosperity.”

In the book, you say that “deterrence” and “diplomatic action” always go together. Do you think it is possible to negotiate with Putin on Ukraine in the near future?

“We need double actions, on the one hand discussions and contacts, on the other hand prevention. I was and still am sure about this. In Germany, however, we could not build a barrier fast enough. This depended more on our partner in government, the GSDP, than on my party, the CDU, although the responsibility lies with me as chancellor. It is true that we increased defense spending to 2% of GDP, but it is not enough. Now we have to get back faster. Naturally, nothing should go through Ukraine’s head regarding the negotiations. At the same time, however, I believe that the many countries that support Ukraine should decide together with him when a diplomatic solution can be discussed with Russia. Kyiv cannot decide on its own. As I am no longer involved in politics, I cannot say when that will happen.”

You write that “Donald Trump was fascinated by Putin.” And also that “the president of the United States sees everything from the point of view of the entrepreneur he was”. Do you think Trump’s return to the White House is a big threat to Germany and Europe?

“For Donald Trump, there are never any situations where both partners in a deal get benefits. For them, one or the other wins. This is an opinion I do not share. I think we have done a lot of deals around the world that are beneficial to both sides. I believe in the power of negotiation, unlike Trump. The most important thing is cooperation with Trump, as partners and representatives of a country free from fear and self-confident, protecting its own interests, in the German and European case, how clearly he defends his own

Do you see the danger of dividing Europe?

“The danger is always there. It is up to us, everything is in our hands. In my opinion, despite the different starting positions, there is a good chance that Europe will find a common line on difficult issues”.

Did Trump have anything against you personally?

At the G7 summit in Canada, he threw two Starbust candles on the table and said, “Here, Angela. Don’t say I never gave you anything.” Donald Trump was serious because he thought there were too many German cars in New York. from the streets of Manhattan.