German Chancellor Angela Merkel gives a joint press conference with the President of Ukraine after their talks at the Mariinsky Palace in Kyiv on August 22, 2021.
SERGEY DOLZHENKO | AFP | Getty Images
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has strongly condemned Russia’s war in Ukraine in her first public speech since leaving office in December last year.
Rewarding his comments by saying he did not want to give advice from the sidelines, Merkel described Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a “barbaric war of aggression” that was a “powerful turning point” and the “most flagrant breach of international law.” “in Europe since World War II.
“My solidarity goes to Ukraine, which has been attacked and assaulted by Russia,” the former leader said at a German trade union rally in Berlin on Wednesday night, adding that Ukraine’s right to self-defense it was indisputable.
Merkel, who has ruled Germany for 16 years, has come under heavy scrutiny in recent months for her history of friendly relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and her history of expanding economic ties between Russia and Germany.
Many criticize it for increasing Germany’s dependence on Russian energy imports, especially with the establishment of the first Nord Stream gas pipeline between the two countries. It was also the driving force behind the now defunct Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which its predecessor Olaf Scholz aborted just before the Russian invasion of Ukraine began.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel (right) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) arrive at the plenary session of the G20 summit on July 7, 2017.
Mikhail Svetlov / Getty Images
Merkel has not responded directly to these criticisms. Shortly after Russia began its invasion, Merkel issued a brief statement saying there was no justification for violating international law.
But his silence has since angered many critics, who accuse him of inciting Putin. Merkel had insisted on maintaining communication and engagement with Putin even after his annexation of the Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and incursions into eastern Ukraine, which triggered EU sanctions on Russia. .
CNBC has contacted the German Chancellery for comment.
Scholz, Merkel’s predecessor, is now facing the task of turning this record around and has overseen some of the most dramatic changes in German foreign policy since the end of World War II, namely increasing military spending. Germany and agree to send weapons to a conflict. area to support Ukraine.
Scholz said on Wednesday that Germany would send its IRIS-T air defense system to Ukraine amid criticism that its government is not yet doing enough to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia.
Also on Wednesday, Germany’s parliamentary budget committee approved a historic 100 billion-euro ($ 106 billion) fund for the country’s military, which will be passed by Parliament on Friday.