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Former German chancellor Angela Merkel in an interview with German news outlet Der Spiegel defended her policy towards Russia and said her stance on Ukraine during the Minsk peace talks bought Kyiv time to fight Russia better. online news
Merkel said she ran out of power to influence Russian President Vladimir Putin towards the final phase of her chancellorship. The former German chancellor said she tried to arrange talks between European partners, Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron in the summer of 2021.
She said everyone knew that she would be gone in autumn. “Really everyone knew: in autumn she’ll be gone. In terms of power politics you’re finished (and) for Putin, only power counts,” Merkel was quoted as saying by news agency Der Spiegel.
Merkel pointed out that in a significant move, Putin decided to bring along with him Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister. Her previous meetings with Putin were one-to-one.