Merkel Links Ukraine War to Pandemic, Defends Past Policies in New Interview
BUDAPEST, Hungary – Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has offered a surprising explanation for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, attributing it largely to teh COVID-19 pandemic disrupting in-person diplomatic efforts. In a recent interview with hungarian Format, reported by Bild, Merkel stated that the inability to meet face-to-face due to fears of the virus prevented the negotiation of new compromises with Vladimir Putin. “We could no longer meet,” Bild quotes Merkel as saying. “If you can’t meet, if you can’t exchange differences of opinion face to face, then you won’t find new compromises.” She concluded that the pandemic was the “main reason” for the outbreak of the war, arguing that video conferences were insufficient.
Merkel also drew a direct connection between the failure of a previous initiative and Putin’s aggression. “In any case, it didn’t happen. Then I left office and then Putin’s aggression began,” she said.
Defending her earlier policies, Merkel asserted that the Minsk Agreement, signed in 2015, “brought calm” and provided Ukraine with an opportunity. she indicated she only began to doubt Putin’s commitment to the agreement in June 2021.
However, reports note that despite the Minsk Agreement, over 5,000 Ukrainian soldiers are believed to have died in fighting with Russian-backed forces in eastern Ukraine between 2015 and 2022. Russia also occupied Crimea in February 2014, and preparations for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in spring 2021.
Merkel’s statements are expected to draw criticism, especially from countries like Poland and the Baltic states, which have long advocated for a firmer stance against Putin. Thes nations view Merkel’s past policies as overly conciliatory.
