Angela Merkel: Back in 2008, I warned, including in Bucharest, that Putin considers the collapse of the USSR to be the biggest disaster, and I was right, since Putin invaded Georgia back in 2008

Back in 2008, I warned that Putin considers the collapse of the USSR to be the greatest disaster, and I was right, because Putin invaded Georgia back in 2008, - former German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in an interview with the publication Spiegal related to the release of her memoirs.

Asked whether she feels that he is being made a "scapegoat" for the Russia-Ukraine war because of her decision at the Bucharest NATO summit in 2008, the former chancellor replied: "It's not just a feeling, it's the truth."

"Volodymyr Zelenskyy, for example, invited former French President Nicolas Sarkozy and I to go to Bucha after the terrible massacre, apparently, thinking that our position in Bucharest was responsible for the casualties in Bucha," Merkel said.

The former chancellor said she was "admired by Zelenskyy's bravery and courage" during nearly three years of war, but disagreed with the Ukrainian president about Bucharest.

"I have warned again and again, including in Bucharest in 2008: Putin sees the collapse of the Soviet Union as the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the twentieth century - and of course I do not share this opinion. From this he concludes that there is an existential threat to Russia and tries, wherever possible, to keep the other former Soviet republics under control by fomenting conflicts. I was right in my warning. Since Putin invaded Georgia in 2008," Merkel said.

When asked why she did not draw conclusions if she clearly understood what Putin was going to do, the former chancellor said that she had drawn conclusions.

"In my opinion, it was necessary to try to resolve conflicts with Russia peacefully. At the same time, we strengthened the principle of deterrence... In 2014, at the NATO summit in Wales, a goal was set for all countries to spend 2% of their GDP on defense. I admit that the energy with which it was carried out was limited," Merkel said.

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