German Chancellor Angela Merkel will hold a joint news conference with the President of Ukraine on August 22, 2021, following the meeting at the Mariyinsky Palace in Kieu.
SERGEY DOLZHENKO | AFP | Getty Images
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has strongly condemned Russia’s war in Ukraine in her first public speech since resigning last December.
Merkel described Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a “war of aggression,” which constitutes a “widespread turning point” and the most “obvious violation of international law,” on the premise of commenting that it did not want to give advice from bystanders. .. “In Europe since World War II.
“My solidarity is directed at Ukraine, which was attacked and attacked by Russia,” a former leader said at a German trade union event in Berlin on Wednesday night, where Ukraine’s right to self-defense is controversial. He added that there was no such thing.
Merkel, who has led Germany for 16 years, has been under close scrutiny in recent months due to the history of friendly relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the track record of expanding economic relations between Russia and Germany. I did.
Many have criticized Germany for its growing reliance on Russia’s energy imports, especially for the establishment of the first Nord Stream gas pipeline between the two countries. She was also the driving force behind the now obsolete Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which was discontinued by her predecessor Olaf Scholz shortly before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began.
At the G20 Summit on July 7, 2017, German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) will arrive at the plenary session.
Mikhail Svetlov / Getty Images
Merkel does not answer these criticisms directly. Shortly after Russia began its invasion, Merkel issued a short statement stating that there was no justification for violating international law.
But her silence since then has offended many critics who accuse her of enabling Putin. Markel insisted on maintaining communication and involvement with Putin after annexing Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014, invading eastern Ukraine and invoking EU sanctions against Russia.
CNBC has contacted the Chancellor of Germany for comment.
Merkel’s predecessor, Schortz, is currently facing the challenge of improving that record. The most dramatic changes in German foreign policy Since the end of World War II, Germany has agreed to increase its military spending and send weapons to the conflict zone to support Ukraine.
Schortz said on Wednesday that Germany would send Ukraine an IRIS-T air defense system in criticism that his government did not do enough to help Ukraine protect itself from Russia.
Also on Wednesday, the German Parliamentary Budget Committee approved a historic € 100 billion ($ 106 billion) fund for the national armed forces. And it goes to full parliament on Friday.
