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“It’s a great sadness that (Minsk agreements) didn’t work out, but I don’t blame myself for not trying,” said Merkel, talking about the 2014 Minsk agreement that were supposed to contribute to a sustainable ceasefire in the Donbas and further de-escalation of tensions in that area.
Merkel added, there’s could be no excuse for the “brutal disregard of international law” by Russia in Ukraine.
She mentioned that she was against pursuing a plan of Ukraine to join NATO, because she thought this would deescalate tension in relations with Russia, while, on the other hand, Ukraine wasn’t prepared enough to become a NATO member.
Read also: Germany hesitant to supply tanks to Ukraine over fears it might invade Russia – Bild
Merkel has mostly kept silent since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, and has not commented publicly on the situation, despite the fact that her government was closely involved in mediating tensions via the Minsk Agreements and the Normandy format summits between Germany, France, Ukraine, and Russia.
During her term in office, Germany had many business connections to Russia. Merkel’s government welcomed the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, while Deutsche Bank, one of Germany’s largest banks, had a significant presence Russia. Since the start of the invasion, the bank has had to relocate a large number of staff from Russia to Berlin to ensure that the bank’s operations continued smoothly.
