Merkel says we should not "narrow our minds" in search for solution to end war in Ukraine
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has advised that we should not "narrow our minds too much" when it comes to finding a solution to end Russia's war in Ukraine.
Source: European Pravda with reference to ZDF
Details: Speaking at the Leipzig Book Fair, Merkel called for an open debate to end Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine.
"It's important to me – and I've always tried – not to narrow our horizons too much. When someone like Wolfgang Ischinger, the former chairman of the Munich Security Conference, says that we need to think about the fact that at some point we will have to negotiate, then we shouldn’t immediately hiss at him," Merkel said.
Merkel also defended her policy regarding Russia and the energy policy decisions that made Germany heavily dependent on Russian gas.
"I would have preferred gas to be imported from the UK and Norway, as we used to do, and from the Netherlands. But it was no longer available. For us, the question was: more expensive LNG – a third more expensive – or cheaper Russian gas," she said.
Merkel did not respond to a question about why, with hindsight, she is uncomfortable about admitting to her mistakes. "To be honest, I don't know if it will have a pacifying effect if I just say something now that I didn't think about, just for the sake of admitting the mistake now," Merkel said.
Background: Merkel received the Federal Cross of the Order of Merit, Germany’s highest state award, which had been awarded to only two former heads of government before her.
Merkel was the first woman to become Federal Chancellor of Germany, a position she held from 2005 to 2021. During her term of office, she was considered to be one of the most influential politicians in Europe and in the world.
However, after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Merkel began to be sharply criticised for her appeasement of Russia, her increasing dependence on Russian gas, and her refusal to admit the mistakes she made in office.
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