Merkel: I didn’t have the strength to impress Putin

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel made a statement about Russian President Putin.

Former German chancellor Angela Merkel, who left her post last year, said that in the last days of her tenure she had lost her ability to influence Russian leader Putin: “After all, everyone knew that I would leave in the fall. “For Putin, only power is important,” he said.

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she did not have the power to convince Russian President Vladimir Putin not to invade Ukraine during her last term in office.

Speaking to German broadcaster Der Spiegel, Merkel said she was trying to organize meetings in the summer of 2021, which would also include Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron: “However, I did not have the authority to ensure this and influence him. After all, everyone knew that I would go in the fall,” he said.

Merkel, who left office last December after a 16-year tenure as chancellor in Germany, spoke of her last meeting with the Russian leader during a visit to Moscow: “The feeling was very clear, in terms of power politics, you committed suicide. . “For Putin, only power is important,” he said.

Merkel said that Putin was accompanied to their last meeting by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and before that they had always held bilateral meetings.

“I DONT REGRE THAT I LEAVE MY TASK”

Stating that she does not regret her decision to step down as prime minister, Merkel said she felt it was difficult for her government at the time to make progress on topics such as Ukraine, Syria and Libya.

The former German chancellor has come under fire for being close to Putin during his tenure following the invasion of Ukraine. After the war, Germany’s policy caused some backlash due to its dependence on Russian gas.

Putin, who served as a KGB agent in East Germany during the Soviet era, speaks fluent German. Merkel, who met frequently with Putin during her tenure, also speaks some Russian.