Former German chancellor Angela Merkel has said she has “nothing to apologise for” in her handling of Russia during her 16 years in office.
In her first major interview since leaving her post, Ms Merkel denied a suggestion that she and others appeased Russian president Vladimir Putin which ultimately led to the Ukraine invasion.
Speaking at the Berliner Ensemble theatre to German journalist Alexander Osang, she said: “I tried to work toward calamity being averted, and diplomacy was not wrong if it doesn’t succeed.
