"I want to prevent": Merkel mentioned Putin's pre -war confession to Ukraine

"I understand the desire of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe to become NATO members as soon as possible because they wanted to be part of the Western community after the Cold War. Undoubtedly, Russia could not offer these countries what they sought: freedom, self -determination, prosperity. The same time of NATO and its Member States had to study the possible consequences for the Alliance, its safety, stability and functionality of every step of expansion.

She noted that at that time the idea of ​​Ukraine's accession to NATO supported only the minority of the population. However, the third party was not vetoed outside the Alliance, including Russia. Merkel confessed that she considered "gross negligence" to discuss the status for Ukraine and Georgia without analyzing the opinion of President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. According to her, Putin did his best to make Russia a player in the international arena and could not be ignored.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on February 10, 2007, the German Chancellor called for cooperation and search for ways to continue dialogue with the Russian Federation. Then Putin himself spoke, who criticized in his speech Washington. "Putin was exclusively the United States, not to mention that he dreamed of the role that the former Soviet Union and the United States had in the Cold War, when they opposed each other as two superpowers," the politician said.

She said she was sitting in the front row and had the opportunity to watch the Kremlin head. He spoke quickly and freely. Merkel suggested that Putin wrote his speech for the most part or completely.

"What was particularly upset me is his self -confidence: a single word about unresolved conflicts on his threshold in Nagorny Karabas, Moldova and Georgia, although there was a criticism of NATO's mission in Serbia, but a single word about atrocities committed by Serbia during the collapse of the former Yugoslavia, There are no words about events in Russia, ”she shared. According to the excacesses, there were moments in a speech, which she did not appreciate as "absolutely absurd.

" In particular, it is a criticism of the war in Iraq. She noted that in general, Putin introduced himself as a person who "was always on the guard, so that they would not be treated badly", and always ready to arrange power games. According to Merkel, the assumption that the NATO membership plan would be able to protect Ukraine and Georgia from Russian aggression was an illusion.

The countries were denied their hopes, but for Putin the overall promise to enter the Alliance meant "yes" and was an announcement of war. "You will not be a chancellor forever, and then they will become NATO. According to her, many countries in Central and Eastern Europe had no motivation to invest in relations with Russia. It seemed that they just wanted the country to disappear.

However, the excacessler does not undertake to condemn it, understanding prolonged suffering under the Soviet authorities. "But Russia with its nuclear weapons existed. It was and remains geopolitically necessary, not least because it is one of the five permanent members of the World Security Council with the veto with the United States of America, France, the United Kingdom and China ", - Merkel added.