Status: 07.06.2022 21:16
In her first major public appearance after the end of her chancellorship, Angela Merkel was also self-critical – and sharply condemned the Ukraine war. She wonders if this could have been prevented.
In her first major appearance since the end of her chancellorship, Angela Merkel also expressed self-criticism about the federal government’s Russia policy. “It was not possible to create a security architecture,” said Merkel. “You have to think about that,” she said. She asks herself: “Could you have done more to prevent such a tragedy – I already think this situation is a great tragedy – could it have been prevented?”
“Precarious situation”
In an interview with the journalist Alexander Osang, the CDU politician emphasized that developments in Ukraine did not come as a surprise. During her visit to Sochi in 2007, Putin said that the collapse of the Soviet Union was “the worst thing of the 20th century” for him. It was already very clear back then that “there is a great deal of dissent”. And in the end it was never possible to “really end the Cold War”. At the latest at the G-20 summit and the information provided by the intelligence services, it was clear that the situation was “precarious”. “It was clear that this had to be taken very seriously,” Merkel said.
It was also clear that “nothing was going on in the area of the Minsk Agreement” and that Putin had “completed” the agreement. During her farewell visit to Moscow, Merkel was able to see how difficult the development was. “You couldn’t get any further.” The Minsk agreements of 2014 and 2015 were intended to end the conflict.
“Great Sorrow”
Merkel spoke of great “sadness” that it had not been possible to prevent the war. The Chancellor sharply condemned Russia’s attack. “This is a brutal attack in violation of international law, for which there is no excuse,” she said. The attack was a big mistake on the part of Russia.
During the interview in the Berliner Ensemble, Merkel also spoke about private matters and her time after the chancellorship – such as her tremors as chancellor, vacations on the Baltic Sea and radio plays.