War in Ukraine, live: “Russia has transformed its agricultural production system to become another breadbasket for the whole world” – Le Monde

Angela Merkel defends her policy towards Russia Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel defended her policy towards Russia on Tuesday. Now retired from politics, the 67-year-old former leader showed herself at ease in her first long interview given in public, in a Berlin theater, since leaving the chancellery six months ago. She once again harshly condemned the Russian invasion, which she said has “no justification”. “It is a brutal departure from international law for which there is no excuse. But she dismissed criticism that her politics had something to do with it. Merkel said she had been aware for several years of the threat posed by Russian President Vladimir Putin to European security. It was in Germany’s interest to “find a modus vivendi with Russia so as not to find ourselves in a state of war” but “to be able to coexist despite all our differences”, estimated the one who reigned for sixteen years on the leading European economy. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ms Merkel has been accused of increasing Europe’s dependence on Russian energy, including by promoting the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline despite reservations of its European and American partners. The head of state, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who was one of his foreign ministers, admitted at the beginning of April that he had made a “mistake” by supporting the construction of this gas pipeline. Not so from Angela Merkel. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel on stage with German journalist Alexander Osang during her first long interview given in public, in a Berlin theater, June 7, 2022. JOHN MACDOUGALL / AFP “I didn’t think Putin would change thanks to commercial relations”, she said, believing that the latter had drawn a line under democracy. But it was obvious to her that Russia would “always be a neighbor of Europe that we could not completely ignore”, she argued during this interview conducted by a journalist from the weekly Der Spiegel. If a political rapprochement is not possible, “it was relevant to at least have commercial relations”, she justified. “And I’m not going to apologize” for the political line followed in recent years, she hammered. She also defended the diplomatic efforts put in place within the framework of the so-called “Normandy” format with France after the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014 and the conflict in eastern Ukraine. This process did not bring the hoped-for peace, but “a certain calm” which allowed Ukraine to benefit from seven additional years to develop as a nation and strengthen its army, she estimated, welcoming in passing “the courage and passion” with which the Ukrainians defend their country. “I do not have to blame myself for not having made enough efforts”, assured the one who chained four terms and met Vladimir Putin on many occasions. “We have not succeeded in creating a security architecture to avoid” the “tragic” war which is currently raging, she however recognized.