Merkel: I have little political power to influence Putin

Even Angela Merkel could not control Putin. The former Chancellor of Germany explains this himself in an interview with woman, where she evaluates her advisory services about a year after her last working day. She and French President Emmanuel Macron planned a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in August 2021. There she felt her power was limited. Everyone already knew I was going to stop after a few months. In terms of political power, it has played its part. And power is what matters to Putin, ”says Merkel. I also noticed this in the course of her last meeting with the Russian president. With him was his foreign minister. We usually always meet privately.

The former chancellor does not regret leaving politics. “It’s time to take a different approach,” she says. She says her government has made insufficient progress with regard to Ukraine, but also in Moldova, Georgia, Syria and Libya. For example, she continues to defend that she voted against NATO membership for Ukraine in 2008. In an interview in June, she actually stated that she “doesn’t have to apologize for anything.” Merkel said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was “unacceptable and a huge mistake on the part of Russia”.

Merkel was Chancellor of Germany for sixteen years for the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). She herself grew up in East Germany, as part of the Soviet Union. During her time as Chancellor, she always tried to maintain good (business) relations with Russia. Putin, in turn, enjoys good relations with Germany. In his previous life he was a secret agent for the Soviet spy service. Both (former) world leaders speak each other’s language.