Christine Drews Sieger
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel publicly praised President Volodymyr Zelensky’s decision to remain in Kyiv and fight off Russian forces.
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, writing in her new memoirs and speaking at a recent event in Bucharest, looked back at the critical first hours of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022.
She praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for showing immense bravery during those moments.
According to Agerpres, cited by HotNews, Merkel noted that Washington had provided Zelensky with an exit strategy and refuge in the US when the invasion began.
“President Zelensky stayed there, and if he hadn’t done this, there would have been no sovereign and independent Ukraine as there is today,”
Merkel declared in a public dialogue with Emil Hurezeanu, a former Romanian ambassador.
“And he decided to fight.”
Zelensky’s decision to remain in his capital is widely seen as a turning point that prevented a rapid Ukrainian defeat.
Paying for freedom
The former chancellor, who led Germany for 16 years, also connected those events to broader European security.
In her dialogue, she suggested that the continent must now accept a more dangerous reality.
Addressing modern risks like autonomous military tech, she acknowledged that younger generations are rightly questioning their long-term stability, noting that “the Americans are no longer on our side” in the same way they used to be.
To secure a peaceful and free future, she emphasised, European countries will need to increase their military spending.
“We will have to spend more on defense than we have spent for many years,” she warned.
She recognized that Europe can no longer rely on the peace dividends or implicit protections that defined the post-1989 order.
This admission comes amidst ongoing scrutiny of Merkel’s own record, particularly regarding decisions about Ukraine joining NATO and Germany’s former dependence on Russian gas, HotNews reports.
Respect and power
Looking back at her extensive dealings with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Merkel offered blunt insight into his political philosophy.
Regarding the Russian leader’s mindset, she argued that Moscow solely engages with active political strength rather than retired diplomats.
Asked whether she might be a future envoy to negotiate with Moscow, Merkel shut down the idea completely. Her political chapter, she stated, is firmly closed.
“Putin (…) only gives respect to those who have political power,” Merkel noted, according to HotNews.
“Those who are politically responsible today, they must have the discussions with Putin.”
Merkel was appearing at the Romanian Athenaeum to promote her memoirs, “Freedom. Memories 1954-2021.”
While she was warmly received, many still question the legacy of her approach to Moscow, especially the focus on economic ties and the Minsk agreements, which ultimately failed to stop a full invasion.
