Merkel: Diplomatic efforts stalled Putin's plans for Europe

Angela Merkel, the former Chancellor of Germany, acknowledged in a conversation with "Corriere della Sera" that she understood Vladimir Putin's hostile intentions towards Europe. She emphasized that her strategy was to maintain dialogue to avoid a Russian invasion of Ukraine. "I knew President Putin's intentions very well. He has always expressed them both publicly and in private conversations. I knew many of his aims and I knew that we were not dealing with a friend of Europe," Merkel recalled.

Merkel noted that for a time, her approach worked, but the situation changed with the start of the war in Ukraine. "Putin tried to make Russia a great power again," the former chancellor added. She pointed out that Russia failed to achieve this economically, so it turned to military strength and nationalism.

The former chancellor also explained why she didn't block the Nord Stream 2 project after the annexation of Crimea. "I wanted to ensure that the German economy could take advantage of the opportunity to have cheap gas," Merkel said. She added that maintaining economic relations with Russia was aimed at integrating the country into European prosperity.

Merkel also addressed the U.S. president-elect, Donald Trump, criticizing his approach to negotiations. "For Donald Trump, there are never situations where both partners in an agreement get advantages," she stated. She emphasized her belief in the power of compromises and cooperation as equal partners.

The former chancellor also mentioned Trump's threats concerning German cars in New York. "Donald Trump was obsessed with what he thought were too many German cars in New York," Merkel recalled. She noted that Trump threatened to impose high tariffs to eliminate them from the streets of Manhattan.