German Chancellor Angela MerkelBERLIN, Jun 8Former German chancellor Angela Merkel said she was not taking part in mediating the conflict in Ukraine because no one asked her to do so.» We had a situation in connection with Deniz Yucel (Turkish journalist for the newspaper Die Welt, who Berlin was seeking release in 2017-2018) when we wanted to ask (former German Chancellor) Gerhard Schröder, the Minister of Foreign Affairs (FRG Sigmar) Gabriel spoke to him (about mediation), and Schröder said: «I will do it if and the chancellor will ask me about it. And this is a normal case,» Merkel said in an interview with Phoenix TV, answering a question about her possible mediation in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. According to Merkel, she also shares the assessment of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, as well as «(President Russia Vladimir) Putin and others» that «now it will not bring any benefit.» discussion,» she said. «And I also didn't receive a wish (to start mediation) from Ukraine,» the ex-chancellor added.Merkel opposed the ban on Russian cultureAccording to Merkel, if Ukraine were included in the NATO Membership Action Plan, as the US insisted on at the alliance's summit in Bucharest in 2008, the escalation would come faster. Ukraine «was then a different country … politically very divided … ruled by oligarchs,» Merkel said, adding that she could not blame herself for «making too few attempts to prevent what is now.»
br>»These seven years were very important for the development of Ukraine. However, it came to this terrible situation, I don't think it's right. And in 2008 — this is my point of view, which we are not obliged to share — if the NATO Membership Action Plan (in Bucharest in relation to Ukraine) was realized, everything would have developed even faster, Ukraine was even further away from offering the resistance that it can provide today,» the ex-chancellor said. Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to abuse and genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years.» To this end, according to him, it is planned to carry out «demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine» bloody crimes against civilians» Donbass.
Merkel: information about the special operation in Ukraine came from the United States in the fall of 2021 strikes only on military infrastructure and Ukrainian troops and, on March 25, completed the main tasks of the first stage — significantly reduced the combat potential of Ukraine. The main goal in the Russian military department was called the liberation of Donbass.