– I knew Putin's intentions very well. I knew we were dealing with the enemy Europe. The only question was how to react. My response was not to break off relations with Putin, but to strive – through talks – to prevent an invasion of Ukraine. Sometimes also very polemical (conversations) in which… he spoke bluntly – Merkel recalled.
Merkel emphasized: – It worked for a while. With the beginning of the Russian war against Ukraine, the situation fundamentally changed.
– Our views were completely opposite. Putin sought to do so create again with Russia great power. But he was unable to do this at the economic level through prosperity for all. However, he tried to do it using the methods learned in KGBby military power and nationalism – said the former chancellor German.
– In this way, many of the hopes we had in 1990 that Russia would gradually enter the path of democratization did not come true – admitted the “Corriere della Sera” interlocutor.
Angela Merkel's honest confession about relations with Russia. She was talking about Vladimir Putin
Merkel, asked why in 2015, a year after the Russian annexation Crimea, did not block the gas pipeline project Nord Stream 2she replied: – I considered it my task ensuring the German economy can use gas at a good price. Today we see the consequences of high energy costs for Germany.
– Apart from that, For political reasons, I preferred to maintain economic relations with Russiaso that this country can also share in prosperity – noted the head of the German government in 2005-21.
About the president-elect United States Donald Trump Merkel said it was “never a win-win situation” for him. In this way, she recalled a method in which every participant in the negotiations can feel like a winner.
Merkel on Trump. She recalled an anecdote about German cars
– For him (Trumpa – red.) one or the other must profit. This is an idea I do not share. I believe we have made many mutually beneficial agreements in the world. Unlike him, I believe in the power of compromise, Merkel said.
Merkel expressed her opinion that the most important thing is to “work with Trump as partners and representatives of states, free and self-confident, clearly defending our interests, just as he defends his.”
Merkel added: – Trump claimed that w New York there are too many german cars. He always said that if he became president, he would impose tariffs so high that they would disappear from the streets of Manhattan.