Merkel says she lacked power to influence Putin

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she saw no way to unite the countries of the European Union and influence Russian President Vladimir Putin to prevent the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine.

According to Lenta.ru, she told Spiegel newspaper that she had been trying to reach out to Putin after his meeting with US President Joe Biden in the summer of 2021. Merkel also wanted to start an "independent European format of discussion with Putin and [French President] Emmanuel Macron" in the EU Council.

"Someone objected, and I no longer had the energy to assert myself... I asked other council members: 'Why don't you come forward?' One said: 'It's too much for me.' Another only shrugged his shoulders... It was the same during my farewell visit to Moscow. The feeling was very clear: As far as power politics is concerned, it's over. All that matters to Putin is power," the former German chancellor said.

At the same time, she did not regret that she had chosen to step down: Merkel believed that someone new had to take care of the problems. She stressed that it was not only about Ukraine but also about Transnistria and Moldova, Georgia and Abkhazia, Syria, and Libya. "It is time for a new approach," she stressed.