Ex-German chancellor blames COVID-19 pandemic as factor in Russia-Ukraine war

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that the COVID-19 pandemic was one of the factors that led to the war in Ukraine.

She made the remarks in an interview with the Hungarian news outlet Partizan, according to Bild.

Merkel argued that the lack of direct negotiations between European Union leaders and Russian President Vladimir Putin made it harder to find compromises on Ukraine.

Video conferences, she emphasised, are insufficient in such situations.

“If you cannot meet, if you cannot discuss your disagreements face to face, you will not find new compromises,” Merkel said.

She stressed that “the coronavirus — the main reason” that ultimately led to a direct confrontation between Moscow and Kyiv.

By Khagan Isayev