Merkel Condemns Russia for "Barbaric Invasion War"... First Time Criticizing Russia

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had refrained from condemning Russia in public since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, has strongly criticized Russia for the first time. This is interpreted as her taking an active anti-Russian stance amid intensifying criticism over allegations of pro-Russian actions raised both inside and outside Germany.

According to Deutsche Welle (DW) on the 1st (local time), former Chancellor Merkel emphasized at the retirement ceremony of Rainer Hoffmann, chairman of the German Trade Union Confederation, held in Berlin that "Russia's invasion is a blatant violation of international law and a serious rupture in European history since World War II," and stated, "I support the efforts carried out by the German government, the European Union (EU), the United States, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to end this barbaric war of aggression."

This is the first time former Chancellor Merkel has publicly condemned Russia. Since her retirement in December last year, she had refrained from making official statements on international issues. Criticism had continued both inside and outside Germany regarding her pro-Russian actions during her tenure, as well as her decision to push forward the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, which directly supplied Russian gas, despite opposition from the United States and Western countries just before her retirement.

Former Chancellor Merkel, who is from East Germany during the Cold War era and is fluent in Russian, had maintained a conciliatory stance that dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin should continue, even as Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and continued disputes over the eastern Donbas territory.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.