Why didn’t Angela Merkel listen to Donald Trump?
He warned the former Chancellor about the dangers of Russian oil dependence
In her first public appearance since leaving office, former German Chancellor
Angela Merkel defended Berlin’s Russia policy during her 16-year tenure and expressed confidence in her successor, Olaf Scholz.
Judging by the newspaper headlines following her statements, there apparently was an expectation that she would apologise
and take some responsibility for the Russian invasion of Ukraine,
due to her policy of close economic and political cooperation with Moscow.
While in hindsight it is easy to condemn Ms. Merkel’s policy as a failure now
it is important to remember that just a few years ago she was hailed as both the leader of the West and the free world.
In fact, representatives of her government mocked then-President Donald Trump’s remarks at the 2018 UN General Assembly