Merkel Acknowledges Skepticism Towards Kiev's Military Goals
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her belief that Ukraine would not be able to reclaim Donetsk and Lugansk through military means in 2014. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has expressed doubts about the capacity of the post-coup government in Kiev to reclaim the rebellious Donbass republics by military means during her tenure.
Merkel, who held office from 2005 to 2021, shared her perspectives in a recent interview with Der Spiegel, which was published on Friday. She was questioned about her opposition to arms shipments to Ukraine in 2014.
Noting the intense discussions in Kiev about a potential military operation to eliminate resistance in eastern Ukraine, she stated, "I was of the opinion that this would have no chance of success."
She reflected, “It was a dilemma. In the end, we didn’t supply any weapons from Germany, but we supported all of NATO’s efforts,” emphasizing Berlin's position that they “could not leave the Ukrainians unprotected.”
In a related development, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky voiced similar doubts about Ukraine’s ability to reclaim Crimea by force during a Fox News interview on Wednesday. The peninsula had rejoined Russia following a referendum in 2014, where a significant majority of its population supported the decision.
In the wake of the US-backed Maidan coup in Kiev, various regions in Ukraine experienced uprisings. Ukrainian neo-Nazi militias responded by suppressing revolts in Kharkov and Odessa, while the infamous Azov paramilitary battalion quelled resistance in Mariupol. Kiev proceeded with an “anti-terrorist operation” to subdue Donetsk and Lugansk, which had declared themselves independent republics.
Merkel played a role as one of the guarantors of the Minsk agreements from 2014-15, which sought to reintegrate Donbass into Ukraine with greater autonomy. However, she later acknowledged in 2022 that the Minsk deal was primarily “an attempt to give Ukraine time” and to strengthen Kiev against Moscow.
After the Ukrainian government outright dismissed all agreements and escalated its assault on the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, Russia deployed troops across the border in February 2022.
Just last week, during a phone conversation with current German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated that the conflict in Ukraine stemmed from NATO's efforts to establish a “staging ground against Russia on Ukrainian soil.” He argued that the US-led military alliance had ignored Moscow’s security concerns and “trampled on the rights of Russian-speaking residents of Ukraine.”
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
Merkel, who held office from 2005 to 2021, shared her perspectives in a recent interview with Der Spiegel, which was published on Friday. She was questioned about her opposition to arms shipments to Ukraine in 2014.
Noting the intense discussions in Kiev about a potential military operation to eliminate resistance in eastern Ukraine, she stated, "I was of the opinion that this would have no chance of success."
She reflected, “It was a dilemma. In the end, we didn’t supply any weapons from Germany, but we supported all of NATO’s efforts,” emphasizing Berlin's position that they “could not leave the Ukrainians unprotected.”
In a related development, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky voiced similar doubts about Ukraine’s ability to reclaim Crimea by force during a Fox News interview on Wednesday. The peninsula had rejoined Russia following a referendum in 2014, where a significant majority of its population supported the decision.
In the wake of the US-backed Maidan coup in Kiev, various regions in Ukraine experienced uprisings. Ukrainian neo-Nazi militias responded by suppressing revolts in Kharkov and Odessa, while the infamous Azov paramilitary battalion quelled resistance in Mariupol. Kiev proceeded with an “anti-terrorist operation” to subdue Donetsk and Lugansk, which had declared themselves independent republics.
Merkel played a role as one of the guarantors of the Minsk agreements from 2014-15, which sought to reintegrate Donbass into Ukraine with greater autonomy. However, she later acknowledged in 2022 that the Minsk deal was primarily “an attempt to give Ukraine time” and to strengthen Kiev against Moscow.
After the Ukrainian government outright dismissed all agreements and escalated its assault on the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, Russia deployed troops across the border in February 2022.
Just last week, during a phone conversation with current German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated that the conflict in Ukraine stemmed from NATO's efforts to establish a “staging ground against Russia on Ukrainian soil.” He argued that the US-led military alliance had ignored Moscow’s security concerns and “trampled on the rights of Russian-speaking residents of Ukraine.”
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
