Merkel in Bucharest calls on Europe to restore dialogue with Russia
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in Bucharest, Romania, that Europe should seek to restore dialogue with Russia, an aggressor state. At the same time, she sharply criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for the war against Ukraine.
Criticism of Putin
In an interview with Romanian television channel Pro TV, recorded last week and aired during her visit to Romania, Merkel said there is no justification whatsoever for Putin’s idea of restoring an empire that ceased to exist. This was reported by Anadolu Agency.
According to Merkel, Putin’s attack on Ukraine in February 2022 will forever be associated with his name. She also said that he destroyed the order restored through great effort after World War II.
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Contacts with Russia
Merkel noted that Russia remains a country with which Europe should seek to restore dialogue. At the same time, she stressed that Putin’s violation of the principles of law cannot be ignored, calling it his legacy or a “terrible testament.”
Merkel headed the German government from 2005 to 2021 and was the country’s longest-serving postwar chancellor after Helmut Kohl. During her tenure, she combined public criticism of Moscow with the conviction that contacts with the Kremlin were unavoidable. She also repeatedly stated that the conflict in eastern Ukraine could be resolved only through political means.
