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Merkel has no plans to be re-elected and her successor will be elected on September 26. in the next national elections. As he prepares to withdraw from the political scene, his conservative bloc is rapidly losing favor with voters.
On a farewell trip to Moscow and Kiev, the German leader reaffirmed her commitment to Europe’s energy security despite support for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and deplored the stalled Minsk agreement, a process she led but failed to end the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. separatists.
“We must honestly say that we have not made the progress we wanted,” Merkel said in Kiev on Sunday about the conflict on Ukraine’s eastern border. “The situation is complicated and it will not be easier for the new government to handle.”
Merkel has taken the initiative to speed up the Minsk agreement, which would guarantee peace in Ukraine’s Donbass region, but the process has stalled and warring factions continue to disagree.
The chancellor is accused of giving the Russian president significant influence in European energy policy in support of the Nord Stream 2 project and of undermining Ukraine’s interests by creating an insurmountable geopolitical puzzle.
Unfinished business in Russia and Ukraine could haunt the longest-serving European leader, who cannot justify why he has allocated so much political capital to the region. Furthermore, Putin, who has ruled Russia since 2005, has overshadowed their efforts. – provided that Ms Merkel has been Chancellor.
East Germany
Merkel, an outspoken Russian who grew up in communist East Germany, distinguished herself on the world stage as the main interlocutor for Putin, who spent the last years of the Soviet Union as a KGB officer in the East German city of Dresden.
Merkel’s attitude towards Putin deteriorated after 2014 Russia has seized Crimea in Ukraine, an act that the Chancellor has repeatedly condemned as a violation of international law.
His visit to Moscow clearly demonstrated the complex relationship between the two leaders. Putin presented her with a bouquet of flowers and named her “one of the brightest figures on the international stage,” emphasizing that she would always be welcome in Russia when she finished her career.
But the warm relationship suddenly cooled. Merkel condemned the sentencing and imprisonment of Alexei Navaln, the leader of the Russian opposition, unacceptable to Putin, and called for the dissident’s release. It was at that time that a year had passed since the Russian-ordered poisoning of A. Navaln.
Putin, indifferent to Merkel’s requests to extend the gas transit agreement with Ukraine, said that the extension of the agreement, an economic lifeline for Ukraine, would depend on demand in Europe, which could decline due to the region’s ecological ambitions. .
“It is obvious: we cannot sign a transit agreement if we do not have contracts to supply gas to our customers in Europe,” Putin said, standing next to Merkel. “Given the green plans that are already being implemented in Europe, the question is: will they buy gas from us and in what quantities?”
The disputed pipeline
Under mounting pressure, Merkel reaffirmed her commitment to new sanctions if Putin used Nord Stream 2 as a weapon, suspending exports through Ukraine and potentially crippling its economy, and transporting gas directly to Germany via the Baltic Sea.
But now, at the end of his last term, his leverage is waning.
The near completion of the Nord Stream 2 project, which will double the volume of Russian gas transported directly to the German Baltic coast, has been at the heart of Merkel’s troubled relationship with Putin.
In the final weeks of his leadership, the project remains controversial.
The dynamics of the final phase have led to a race against time to ensure the extension of the transit agreement beyond 2024: success will once again depend on Putin.
“The sooner it happens the better,” Merkel said in Kiev.
On Monday, he sent his economy minister, Peter Altmaier, to Ukraine to start talks.
A. Merkel after September 26. the choice will become the interim chancellor, working for a few more weeks or perhaps even months until the parties agree on a new coalition led by his successor.
Merkel, 67, is making many farewell visits these weeks to complete unfinished business. July 15 In Washington, he met with President Joe Biden. At the end of the month, fly to Israel.
However, relations with Russia occupy a special place in Merkel’s heart. It is said that on his desk he kept the 18th century born in Germany. Portrait of Empress Catherine the Great of Russia. Standing alongside Putin last week, he lamented the growing gap between the two nations, which have a rich common history, although he reiterated that he will continue negotiations.
“During my reign, the German and Russian political systems have become even more estranged,” Merkel said in the Kremlin. “However, I am very happy that, despite the important differences, we have managed to keep this negotiation channel open.”
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