BERLIN (Reuters) – Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel mentioned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine marked a “deep rupture in Europe’s historical past following the top of the Cold War” even as her personal legacy comes under recent scrutiny in gentle of the assault.
Russian missiles rained down on Kyiv and different Ukrainian cities on Friday, the second day of an invasion that Ukraine says is geared toward overthrowing the federal government.
Merkel, who led Germany for 16 years till final December and was lengthy seen as the West’s key interlocutor with Russian President Vladimir Putin, mentioned she was following the unfolding occasions with “nice fear and sympathy”.
The conservative stateswoman mentioned in an announcement she wholly supported all of the efforts of her Social Democratic (SPD) successor Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Germany’s allies to carry Russia to account for its actions.
“There is not any justification for this blatant breach of worldwide regulation, and I wholeheartedly condemn it,” mentioned Merkel, who grew up within the former communist East Germany and speaks fluent Russian.
Germany has joined its European Union companions and different Western international locations in agreeing sweeping financial sanctions on Russia. But till this week it had been much less inclined than the United States or Britain to simply accept that an assault on Ukraine was imminent and had backed a heavier deal with dialogue with Moscow.
ENERGY TIES
Germany’s comparatively doveish stance on Russia – which some specialists attribute partly to its guilt over World War Two – has now prompted a broad reevalution of German-Russian ties under successive governments together with these led by Merkel.
Merkel led the West’s imposition of sanctions on Russia in 2014 after its annexation of Crimea, marking a turning level in bilateral relations given Germany’s longstanding deal with participating the Kremlin to make sure peace.
However Germany continued to extend its dependence on Russian power all through her mandate. It now depends on Russia for greater than half its power wants, constraining its capability to get powerful with Putin.
Merkel additionally supported the Nord Stream 2 pipeline meant to ship Russian fuel on to Germany bypassing Ukraine, the normal transit route, calling it a “business undertaking” even as Washington and others warned it could weaken Kyiv.
The undertaking was broadly widespread in Germany. Scholz, who was Merkel’s finance minister earlier than turning into chancellor, and his three-way coalition additionally supported it till this week, once they put it on ice due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Merkel’s former Economy and Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel of the SPD instructed German radio Deutschlandfunk this week that he had supported Nord Stream 2 as a result of he believed such tasks “carry a peace dividend”.
“The query for me and Merkel is whether or not we have been too optimistic,” he mentioned.
(Editing by Gareth Jones)
