Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has defended her policy towards Russia, saying she should not “apologize” for relying on diplomacy and trade to try to avoid a war in Ukraine. She has performed publicly in a theater in Berlin since after leaving the prime minister’s office. six months ago.
She once again strongly condemned the Russian invasion, which she said was “unjustified”, adding: “This is a flagrant departure from international law for which there is absolutely no justification.”
But she dismissed criticism that her policies had anything to do with it, and Merkel said she’s known for years about the threat Russian President Vladimir Putin poses to European security.
The former chancellor, who ruled Europe’s largest economy for 16 years, added that it was in Germany’s interest “to find a temporary settlement with Russia so that we are not at war” but rather “to be able to coexist despite all our differences.” “.
“I didn’t imagine that Putin would change through trade relations,” the former chancellor said, arguing that the Russian president had canceled the idea of democracy. “I will not apologize” for the political line she has taken in recent years, Merkel said categorically. For the first time, the still popular chancellor in Germany spoke several times about his life after retirement, causing everyone to laugh.
In particular, she said she spent five weeks on the Baltic coast, where she regained the pleasure of reading and found time, and also discovered audio books that required “less concentration”, and said she took the opportunity to listen to William Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
