Angela Merkel was a guest on ZDF Talk with Maybrit Illner on Thursday evening. Last Tuesday, the ex-Chancellor published her memoirs entitled “Freedom”.
It quickly turns to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the question of Ukraine joining NATO, which Merkel has always remained cautious about. Out of fear that Ukraine will be put in a situation that will also burden us, as she told Illner. In her book, Merkel writes about a sentence that Putin said to her in 2008: “You won’t be Chancellor forever. And then they will become a NATO member and I want to prevent that.”
Illner provokes: “Putin relied on you?”
“Then the question is, did Putin rely on them that they would act in his interest not to bring Ukraine into NATO?” Illner wants to know. Merkel replies: “No, no, no, I deny that he relied on me!” Even back then she said: Ukraine will one day also be a NATO member.
Merkel counters that Putin wanted to split NATO
The ex-Chancellor vehemently opposes Illner’s claim that Putin relied on her. Back then it wasn’t about a Russian veto, said Merkel. She further explains that Putin wanted to split NATO.
Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has been going on for more than a thousand days. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky still accuses Germany of taking a cautious stance on the issue of NATO membership.
You can see the entire ZDF program with Maybrit Illner here.
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