She hadn’t imagined the beginning of the post-Merkel era like this, she admitted. And after six months of press blackout, the chancellor off-duty, off duty, she let herself be interviewed by the Berliner Ensemble, to say clear words about her politics and role. First: Putin’s brutal war on Ukraine “has no justification, no excuse”, and is “a great mistake, which violates all international norms”. However, Frau Merkel has nothing to blame: «Diplomacy is not something for which it can be said that, if it fails, it has been wrong. There is nothing I can say about it, this was a mistake and so I apologize. “
The “rest” after 16 years of at the top
And again: “I can’t blame myself for not having tried hard enough,” he added. “It’s sad that he didn’t succeed, but luckily I tried hard enough,” he said, citing the diplomatic efforts of the Normandy format, along with the French president. But there is also a second point, much more personal: Frau Merkel does not feel like an ordinary citizen, but she is now out of service. And she does not intend to intervene continuously, nor to give up her well-deserved rest after 16 long years at the helm of Germany. «I read that I only choose appointments that bring me well-being. But that’s clear! »She blurted out, making the audience laugh. The leader who has faced and conditioned the great of the earth for about 16 years has made it clear that she has always had “different values” compared to Vladimir Putin and that she had sided with Kiev from the beginning.
Heart on the side of Ukraine
“My heart has always beaten for Ukraine,” he said. “It’s not like he was divided in half in the negotiations.” And even when he vetoed NATO entry in 2008, he added, it was because he knew that this “process” would provoke a reaction from Putin “not good” for the country. “I have always looked for a modus vivendi that did not lead to war. A coexistence with Russia ». Today the situation is different. “Ukraine cannot be left alone,” and President Zelensky has “great respect” for him. It was right that Germany did not deliver arms to the Ukrainians in the past, when “we were essentially active in diplomacy”, sharing roles with France. “But today this is no longer on the agenda.” Of course, he continued, Europe must also ask itself “what it can do”, remarking that “a collaboration between Russia and China would not bring good”.
The meeting of the dog and the trip to Italy
Interviewed by Spiegel journalist Alexander Osang, the former chancellor also told some unpublished details. «Now I can say that, when I visited Putin in Sochi, in the famous visit of the dog, he told me that the fall of the USSR was the greatest catastrophe of the twentieth century. I replied that for me it had been one of the most beautiful events of my life ». The cold war never ended for him, and it was not possible to build a security architecture that would hold it, glosses it. No, the welcome with that big dog (famous indeed) was not at all a friendly gesture, she explained: «he knew I was afraid of him. But a good chancellor has to get by even with a dog ”, she ironically garnered the enthusiastic applause of the Berlin audience. “I’m not a completely normal citizen, I still have duties for my country, and I’m looking for my way as a former chancellor,” she also explained. But, after 16 years, Angela Merkel also has the right to disconnect: the controversy over the trip to Italy? She if she was expecting them. «But I said to myself: do it! I wanted to deepen the Renaissance and see Michelangelo’s David ».
