Hezbollah fires rocket barrages into Israel after deadly Beirut strikes    British man captured while fighting with Ukraine    Far-right candidate takes shock lead in Romania presidential election    Indians risk it all to chase the American Dream    Al Ittihad claims top spot in Saudi Pro League after victory over Al Fateh    Do cigarettes belong in a museum?    Saudi Arabia joins international partnership initiative to boost hydrogen economy    Riyadh Emir inaugurates International Conference on Conjoined Twins in Riyadh    Saudi delegation participates in the 7th U20 Deans Summit in Brazil    Al-Jubeir discusses with EU officials enhancing bilateral cooperation    GASTAT: Non-oil exports up 22.8% in September 2024    Saudi Arabia to host 28th Annual World Investment Conference in Riyadh    Saudi Arabia allows licensed flour milling companies to export flour    Al Khaleej stuns Al Hilal with 3-2 victory, ending 57-match unbeaten run    SFDA move to impose travel ban on workers of food outlets in the event of food poisoning    Al Okhdood halts Al Shabab's winning streak with a 1-1 draw in Saudi Pro League    Saudi musical marvels takes center stage in Tokyo's iconic opera hall    Al Khaleej qualifies for Asian Men's Club League Handball Championship final    Katy Perry v Katie Perry: Singer wins right to use name in Australia    Sitting too much linked to heart disease –– even if you work out    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Ukraine war: Angela Merkel defends her record on Putin
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 08 - 06 - 2022

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has defended her record on handling Vladimir Putin in her first major interview since leaving office.
She said she had "nothing to apologize for" over her response to Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, when she supported sanctions.
She also defended her opposition in office to Ukraine joining Nato.
Merkel has been accused of leaving Germany vulnerable by pursuing business-led relations with Russia.
The Nord Stream 2 pipeline to carry Russian natural gas directly to Germany was built while she was chancellor and only suspended by her successor, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February.
Under pressure to impose stringent new sanctions over the invasion, Germany is struggling to reduce its dependence on Russian energy without damaging its own economy.
But Mrs Merkel said Europe and Russia were neighbors that could not ignore each other. "We have to find a way to co-exist despite all our differences," she said.
The invasion was "not just unacceptable but also a major mistake by Russia", she told German journalist and author Alexander Osang in an interview televised by broadcaster ARD.
"If we start going back through the centuries and arguing over which bit of territory should belong to whom, then we will only have war," she said. "That's not an option whatsoever."
She defended the sanctions imposed on Russia in response to the annexation of Crimea and Germany's role in maintaining the Minsk peace process, which was meant to end the fighting in eastern Ukraine in 2014-15.
The peace process, she argued, allowed Ukraine time to develop as a nation and strengthen its military.
"I don't have to blame myself for not trying hard enough," she said. "I don't see that I have to say 'that was wrong' and that's why I have nothing to apologize for."
She had opposed Nato membership for Ukraine in 2008, she said, because she had wanted to prevent escalation with Russia and because Ukraine itself was not ready. "That wasn't the Ukraine we know today," she said. "The country was not stable, it was riddled with corruption."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose country remains outside the Nato alliance despite extensive Western defense aid since the invasion, has described Germany's decision in 2008 as a "miscalculation".
On Tuesday Merkel, who left office six months ago, said she had "the highest respect" for Zelensky and was impressed by "the courage and passion" with which Ukrainians were fighting for their country. — BBC


Clic here to read the story from its source.