Angela Merkel’s “farewell visit” to the Kremlin on Friday will mark the end of one of Europe’s oldest and most complex political relations, which is a 15-year relationship between senior European politicians and major EU rivals. Nervous tug of war. Vladimir Putin.
Despite the extreme tension, their relationship never broke. According to reports, the German Chancellor had distrusted the former KGB official when he first appeared in the Bundestag in 2001. At that time, he wooed MPs in fluent German and called for unity against international terrorism.
Whether in German or Russian, the conversation between the two seemed uncomfortable. Two awesome leaders, their conflicting political styles and their inner distrust of each other made their summit compelling.
The German Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote in an article before the summit on Friday: “On the global stage, no other politician has been so good at handling bad things for such a long time like these two.”
Events in the past 15 years have proved that Merkel’s early vigilance against Putin is justified, from Russia’s annexation of Crimea to The poisonous killing of the dissident Alexei Navalny And assassinations in Europe.
There are also personal contempts, such as the incident in 2007 when Putin allowed his Labrador Kone to approach Merkel, who was afraid of dogs. “I understand why he has to do this-to prove that he is a man,” she told a group of reporters afterwards. “He is afraid of his weakness.”
However, as many people in the West tried to isolate Putin, she and Emmanuel Macron of France urged EU countries to maintain direct dialogue with Russian leaders. With her term coming to an end, allies of the Russian president believe that Merkel will seek a breakthrough in conflict negotiations. Ukraine When she met Putin on Friday.
But the scope of the cooperation is unclear. Minsk Dialogue-Peace negotiations between Ukraine, Germany, France, and Russia-backed separatists in southeastern Ukraine, mainly led by Merkel, have reached a deadlock.
The meeting was held on the first anniversary of the poisonous killing of Alexei Navalny, who was detained in Russia for apparent political retaliation. Putin’s opponent.The Charité Clinic in Berlin confirmed that he had Target novichok poison Last year, Russia rejected a diagnosis.
Merkel spokesman Stephen Seibert said on Wednesday: “This unresolved case certainly puts tremendous pressure on our relations with Russia.” “Our request has not been met. You will also know Navalny. My husband was unfairly imprisoned, spent his sentence in prison, and even brought new charges against him. All of this has affected the relations between Germany and Russia.”
Other critics believe that Merkel is too weak for Russia.Her last visit was in Beixi 2The pipeline connecting Russia and Germany is about to be completed. This pipeline will allow Russia to send natural gas directly to Germany and bypass other countries it currently uses for transit, putting Eastern Europe in a state of tension.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky called the pipeline “a powerful weapon for Russia.”he is It is said that “surprised” and “disappointed” After the United States and Germany announced that they had reached an agreement to allow the pipeline to continue.
Merkel has said that if Russia uses the threat of death to pressure Ukraine, Germany will respond. She plans to visit Kiev on Sunday, which seems to be to ease concerns. The Atlantic Council is a think tank that strongly criticizes Russia, calling on her to use this visit to “reject Russia’s imperial claim to Ukraine.”
When Merkel met Putin as prime minister for the last time this week, she might express it in a different way. She has stated that she directly challenged the Russian president in private, adding: “When it comes to criticism of him, I will not back down.”
But her calls for direct dialogue with Putin are getting louder and louder, and she has received Macron’s support. Facing strong opposition from the European UnionSome people think that the Russian leader cannot reason.
“In general, we have a lot of conflicts with Russia. Unfortunately, our relationship is very difficult,” She said at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg Earlier this year. “Nevertheless, I’m the kind of person who says we must talk often.”
